


Drawing the Line

by Something_Red



Category: Glee
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-15
Updated: 2020-05-15
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:21:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 37
Words: 150,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24202000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Something_Red/pseuds/Something_Red
Summary: Quinn's estranged aunt, Rachel, returns to Lima after being away for several years. The two spend more time together and become much closer with every day that passes. It's not long before Quinn starts developing feelings that she should not be feeling. Complications soon arise. AU Faberry. G!P Quinn. Nonincest.Originally posted on FF.net.
Relationships: Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray
Comments: 3
Kudos: 61





	1. Chapter 1

"Quinn, come on! We're going to be late!"

Quinn rolls her eyes as she listens to her mother yelling from downstairs and takes her time lacing up her shoes. When she's finished, she stands and looks around for her purse, wondering where she threw it this time.

"Quinn!"

She sighs and figures she's gonna be forced to go without it. She throws open her bedroom door and trudges down the stairs.

"You'd think we're meeting the Queen of England," she mumbles under her breath.

Judy ignores the comment and quickly ushers her daughter out the front door. "Not now, Quinn. I told you what time Rachel's plane gets here and now we only have twenty minutes!"

Both women get in the car. Judy peels out of the driveway before Quinn even has a chance to put on her seatbelt.

"Mom, calm down. It's not like waiting a few minutes will kill her," Quinn says as they speed off to the airport.

"What's going on with you? Are you not excited that Rachel's moving back?"

Quinn shrugs, "Not really. It's been years since she left and she hasn't come to visit once. Why should we be happy to see this woman? It's not like we've ever been a priority to her."

Judy frowns, but still nods, "Yes, I know that it's frustrating. But she's going through a really hard time with the divorce and needs us right now. So it's best that we all put everything behind us and start over with a clean slate."

"Whatever you say," Quinn replies half heartedly.

"Quinn, please. Will you at least try to put in the effort with your aunt?"

"She's not even my aunt," she quips.

Judy becomes irritated. "Just because she was adopted doesn't mean she's not my sister. She is still and always will be family."

"Right. Because disappearing for eight years is how you treat your family."

Judy doesn't reply and keeps her eyes trained on the road. She knows that her daughter is right. But she's ready to move past that and just wants to have her only sister back in her life.

* * *

Rachel listens as the flight attendant announces for everyone to put on their seatbelts as they would be arriving shortly. She does so absentmindedly and stares out the window and watches as the ground gets slowly closer and closer.

She begins fidgeting with her hands, becoming increasingly nervous. She hasn't set foot in Lima since she left with Finn eight years ago. Never in her life did she think she would ever return. And yet, here she was.

She also never thought that she'd be thirty years old and divorced, but life surprises you. And sometimes not in a good way. She closes her eyes as she thinks about all that's happened in recent months.

She can't believe that she hardly knows the man that she was married to for so long. He's had four affairs with other women...that she knows of. Thinking that the list most likely extends far beyond that makes her sick. She's also disturbed to know that he was getting away with it right under her nose. If it wasn't for Finn's disgruntled former assistant telling her about everything, who knows when she would have found out, if ever.

She remembers the night that she met Finn Hudson vividly. She was twenty-two, in her last semester at Lima University. Finn was a hot shot account executive that happened to be in town for business. The had bumped into each other at a local bar one night and hit it off right away. After a wild weekend together, Rachel fell in love. When Finn returned to New York City, they kept in touch and tried to work out their relationship.

Three months later when Finn was back in town visiting, he asked her to leave school to marry him and start a life together in New York. When she told Judy, her sister was furious and had warned her against doing such a foolish thing, but Rachel didn't listen. After their parents died just a few years prior, she wanted to move forward with her life. Judy was already married to Russell and had Quinn. She wanted her shot at that life.

In the end, she agreed to marry Finn and left Lima without looking back. She played the role of stay at home wife and never had to worry about working. Until now.

Rachel sighs to herself. Things could definitely be worse right now. Luckily, she was entitled to half of their savings as well as alimony. The fact that they didn't have children made it a lot easier. And Finn didn't really fight anything with the guilt weighing down on him. She received enough money to buy a small house and live comfortably while she gets her life together. And hopefully she'll be able to reconnect with her family.

"Excuse me, miss?"

Rachel snaps out of her daze to see the flight attending smiling at her from the aisle. "We're deboarding now."

She flushes in embarrassment when she sees that nearly everyone has already exited the plane. She apologizes and grabs her things and rushes out.

* * *

Quinn and Judy scan over every passenger as they leave the gate. They've been standing there for over ten minutes already. Quinn was becoming more and more impatient.

"Do you see her, Quinn? Is that her over there? No wait it's not. I can't see her. Do you see her?"

Quinn rolls her eyes and chuckles at her mom's excitement. If she's being honest with herself, she hardly remembers what Rachel looks like. She just recalls a small girl with dark hair and loud voice.

"Oh! There she is! Rachel! Over here!" Judy waves frantically.

Quinn looks over at the smiling woman approaching them. She certainly hasn't aged that much. Time has been kind to her. Quinn can tell by the tight shirt and short shorts that Rachel's wearing that the woman is still perfectly fit. She's taken good care of herself. Quinn will give her that much.

As soon as she's within arms reach, Judy envelopes her into a hug. Quinn stifles a laugh at Rachel's face while she's trying to gasp for air.

"It's so good to see you, Judy," she squeaks out, lightly patting the other woman's back.

Judy finally pulls back. "It's good to see you too! I've missed you so much," she squeals.

Rachel smiles and turns to her niece. "And Quinn! I hardly recognize you!" She pulls the younger girl into an awkward hug, which Quinn barely returns. "You've grown up so much."

"Yeah. Eight years does that to a person," she says flatly.

Rachel is taken aback but smiles politely while Judy gives her daughter a pleading look. Quinn sighs, "But I'm happy to see you, Rachel."

Rachel smiles more genuinely this time before turning to Judy. "Was Russell not able to make it?" she asks.

"He's at work at the hospital right now. He'll be home later tonight. Only I was able to get the day off."

Rachel nods in understanding. "Well, are we all ready to go?" she asks.

"Yes!" Judy exclaims. "Let's get you to your new house!"

* * *

"So how was the flight?" Judy asks to break the silence in the car.

"It was fine. Other than the two layovers it took to get here, which was ridiculous. I'll be sending an email to the airline about that."

Quinn snorts from the backseat. Was this woman serious?

"We'll worry about that later. You're going to love the house. Even Russell thought it was wonderful when we looked at it last week. Have all of your things been sent?" Judy asks.

Rachel nods, "The movers should have brought in everything this morning. All that's left to do is unpack everything."

"Quinn and I will help you. It won't be any trouble for us."

Quinn groans internally. Speak for yourself.

"Looks like we're here!" Judy speaks up.

Quinn furrows her brow in confusion as they pull into the driveway. She had yet to come see the house so she wasn't expecting this at all. "Uh Mom, you do realize that Rachel lives one street over from us, right?"

Rachel smiles, "I just thought it would be best for me to be as close to family as possible."

Quinn unbuckles her seatbelt and jumps out of the car. Well that's just great. This means she'll probably have to put up with seeing her aunt everyday.

The three women enter the house to see several boxes piled into the living room. Each one expertly labeled, no doubt by Rachel.

"Do you want to have a look around?" Judy asks Rachel.

The brunette nods as she makes her way through the spacious living room. The dining room was the next room over, also adequately sized. And the kitchen was completely separated with a swinging door. Rachel liked that.

She returns to the living room to go out the back sliding door. She was pleasantly surprised to see a pool in the backyard. Judy didn't tell her about a pool. At least now she'll be able to relax during the summer.

She comes back in and makes her way through the living room again and into the master bedroom. It's about the same size as the bedroom she had in her New York apartment. The closet is slightly smaller, but she can live with that since it's just her now. And the en suite bathroom looked nice.

Rachel then glances around the guest bedroom before making her way back to the living room. Quinn and Judy are already moving the marked boxes to their appropriate rooms. Rachel quickly gets to helping.

"I really appreciate you both doing this," she tells them.

Judy waves her off, "It's not trouble. You're my sister after all."

Rachel hears Quinn mumble something bitterly from the kitchen. She sighs and decides to ignore it. She knew it wouldn't be easy winning the acceptance of the whole family, especially her niece. But she knew she would have to try.

* * *

Quinn was unwrapping plates and cups when she heard the kitchen door swing open behind her.

"Hey Quinn," Rachel says. She reaches into the box on the counter to help Quinn unwrap. "So your mom says that you graduate in a week, right?" she asks in an attempt to make small talk.

"That's right. The last day of school was yesterday," Quinn responds without looking at the other woman.

"Oh! That's so exciting. And you're going to Lima University in the fall? That's where I went to college."

"I know," Quinn says dryly.

"At least you'll still be able to live at home. Do you know what you're going to major in yet?" Rachel asks.

Quinn shrugs. She's becoming tired of people questioning her about her future. "Not yet. Just going to get my basics out of the way for now. And I was able to get a scholarship from cheerleading so that'll help out a lot."

"You were a cheerleader?" Rachel asks, intrigued.

"Cheerleading captain, actually," she says with a bit of pride. Anyone that survives four years with Sue Sylvester deserves bragging rights for life.

"Oh yes, she was an amazing captain," Judy joins the conversation as she enters the kitchen. "We'll have to show Rachel some of your videos sometime."

Rachel smiles excitedly while Quinn rolls her eyes. She begins to put some of the plates away in a cupboard when she feels her phone vibrate in her pocket. She pulls it out to see a text from Santana Lopez, one of her best friends.

**Santana: I just ran into Brittany and fucking Trouty Mouth at the mall. They were making out in the food court...**

Quinn hastily replies back.

**Quinn: Don't do anything stupid!**

**Santana: Relax Q. I didn't kill him. I'm leaving now. It hurts too much to even be near them.**

Quinn bites her lip, feeling sad knowing that her friend is hurting. Her phone buzzes with another text.

**Santana: But don't worry. I'm fine.**

**Quinn: Do you need anything?**

**Santana: I think your cock would definitely help ;)**

Quinn begins blushing furiously before looking up at her mother and Rachel. Judy was going on animatedly about god knows what while Rachel nodded along. Quinn turns her back to them and replies to the text.

**Quinn: My place in ten? My parents are out. Let yourself in.**

**Santana: Already on my way.**

Her day seems to have gotten better. Quinn smiles in excitement but then concentrates really hard when she realizes how close she is to a raging hard on. Yes, a hard on.

Quinn was arguably one of the most beautiful girls in all of Lima. But Quinn wasn't born a normal girl. She doesn't exactly like to be called abnormal. But that seems to be the case as she was born with a fully functional penis. This is something that absolutely baffled doctors since the rest of her was completely female. She even had two X chromosomes. Yet for some reason, she had male reproductive organs. This was a rare phenomenon that just happened to be bestowed upon her.

She had learned to accept it over the years. She managed to keep it hidden from the whole school. The only people that knew besides her family were her best friends, Santana and Puck. Santana obviously had no problem with it, as they had been hooking up for the past year, which Quinn didn't mind. She would rather do that with someone that she trusted and cared about. But there were no feelings involved and they made sure not to let it get in the way of their friendship. Quinn doesn't know what she would do without Santana. But she still hopes to find someone special to be intimate with and accept her in the future.

"Quinn, you okay?" Judy interrupts her thoughts.

Quinn nods, "I'm gonna take off. Me and Santana are gonna hang out for a little while."

Judy raises a knowing eyebrow at her daughter. "Okay. Make sure that you're both safe."

Quinn feels her face heating up, "Mom!" Her mom knew all about her and Santana's sexcapades after walking in on them one fateful afternoon. Judy wasn't surprised at all to find out that Quinn was a lesbian, given her condition. So she and her husband were more than okay with their daughter's sexuality. She just wanted Quinn to be careful and not ruin her future by getting a girl pregnant or contacting an STD.

"Better safe than sorry," Judy shrugs.

Rachel looks between the two completely confused. "Is Santana a friend of yours?"

"She's Quinn's girlfriend," Judy laughs.

Rachel looks down embarrassed, completely thrown off. "Oh. Well I'd love to meet her sometime."

Quinn slaps a hand to her forehead. "She's not my girlfriend, Rachel. She's just a friend."

"A friend. Right," Judy mocks, still chuckling.

"Whatever," Quinn says. "I'll see you guys later."

"Are you gonna come visit?" Rachel asks hopefully.

Quinn nods absently before dashing out of the kitchen and to her house.

* * *

The walk to her house was only a few minutes, which Quinn is glad for. She sees Santana's car already in the driveway on her way inside. She enters her bedroom to see her friend already sitting on the bed and playing with her phone. She makes sure to lock the door behind her.

"Were you busy?" the girl asks.

Quinn shakes her head. "Was just with my mom helping my aunt move. But I think they've got it."

Santana gives her a look of confusion. "You never told me you had an aunt."

Quinn shrugs as she moves to stand in front of the Latina. "It's a long story so I'll tell you about it later." She undoes her belt and pulls down the zipper to her pants. "Wasn't there something you wanted me to help you with?" she asks seductively while pulling herself out.

Santana smirks knowingly. She gently grabs a hold of Quinn's member before leaning her head forward.


	2. Chapter 2

Rachel is settling comfortably on the couch when the doorbell rings, startling her. She makes her way to the door, confused because she wasn't expecting anyone tonight. When she looks through the peephole, she's even more confused when she sees who's standing there. She opens the door.

"Quinn? What are you doing here?" she questions.

Quinn is caught off guard by the bluntness of the older woman. And it seems to show on her face because Rachel looks panicked for a moment before back tracking.

"Not that I don't want you here! I just wasn't expecting anyone tonight and I'm surprised to have company is all," she explains.

Quinn rolls her eyes and holds out the tupperware she brought along with her.

"My mom made dinner and said to bring this to you. She's working the night shift with my dad at the hospital so she wasn't able to come by. She just asked me to drop it off. That's all."

"Oh," Rachel says while taking the food. "I already ate. But thank you," she smiles.

Quinn just shrugs. "Well okay. See you later," she says before turning around to walk back home.

She's just at the edge of the driveway when she hears Rachel call out, "Quinn?" She groans quietly and turns to look at her aunt. "Do you think you could stay and...just hang out for a bit?"

Quinn's eyes widen. She quickly lifts a finger and points in the direction of her house. "I was just gonna go -"

"I know, I know. It's Saturday night and you probably have a life. At least more of a life than I do. I just feel like I've been going crazy these past few days. Of course I have Judy. But she's been treating me like glass and I don't like it. I don't really have anyone else to talk to. Not even a cat!" Quinn can't help but smile at that.

Rachel knows that she's probably coming off as desperate. But she really does feel like she's been going crazy. "I have nowhere to be. I've been lounging around in this all day," she gestures to her sweat pants and tank top. "And my New York friends are always too busy to talk now. Who knows if I'll ever even see them again. And also..."

Quinn listens to her ramble on and on even longer. She sighs and walks back towards her. Whatever it takes to get this woman to shut up. "Rachel stop."

The older girls snaps her mouth shut right away, embarrassed. "Sorry. I know I tend to talk in circles a lot. But I understand if -"

"No, it's fine," Quinn cuts her off. "I'll stay here with you for a little while. Okay?"

She swears that Rachel does a little jump in excitement just then.

* * *

Quinn is sitting on one end of Rachel's couch as they watch their second episode of I Love Lucy when Rachel abruptly turns the volume down.

"Am I boring you?" she asks.

Quinn looks up and shakes her head, "No, not at all." She knows that they haven't really said a word to each other since they came in. But she became too immersed in the show that she kind of forgot where she was. "This is actually one of my favorite shows."

Rachel gives a lopsided smile. "Really? That's weird. I'm surprised anyone your age has even heard of it."

"Well maybe I'm not like most people my age," Quinn answers back.

"No?"

"Maybe I'm just an old soul trapped in this body," she jokes.

"Trust me, when you're older you'll wish you could be this age again and redo everything."

"Is that what happened to you?" As soon as the words are out of her mouth, Quinn wishes she could take them back. "I'm sorry. That was a cheap shot," she says feeling guilty.

Rachel gives a sad smile and shrugs, "It's okay. I deserve it."

The two sit there for a moment. An awkward silence lingers over them. It's Rachel that finally speaks up.

"I know that I've already sorted out any issues I've had with Russell and Judy. But I owe you a personal apology," she says.

"Rachel, you don't have to do that. I don't hate you or anything." Quinn could face palm at her word choices right now.

"That may be true. But I know I'm definitely nowhere close to being your favorite person. It was probably confusing for you to have to watch me come in and out of your life like that."

Quinn doesn't say anything. She just nods the affirmative.

Rachel continues, "But I promise that I'll never do that to you and my sister again. I hate how selfish I've been in the past. And I guess it finally caught up to me with Finn and the divorce. I want to be a better person. And I hope that you'll at least give me the chance to show you that I'm changing for the better. Judy already forgave me. But your opinion of me means a lot too."

Quinn doesn't say anything at first, which doesn't surprise Rachel. She watches the blonde bite her lip, probably thinking to herself. She then stops and finally makes eye contact with the older woman.

"I forgive you. You've been through a lot and we all deserve a second chance, right?"

Rachel smiles, "That's true. And thank you, Quinn."

Quinn returns the smile and turns her attention back to the tv. Rachel turns the volume back up and the pair continue watching their show. Quinn feels a lot more relaxed now after their talk. At least they got it out there.

* * *

More time passes and both girls are howling with laughter while watching the show.

"How have I never seen this episode before?" Rachel asks.

"What? It's a classic!"

Quinn's phone goes off with a new text message. She looks at the screen to see that it's from Santana.

**Santana: Hey Q. Me and Puckerman were able to score a 12 pck. Chill at your place since your parents are gone?**

Quinn pauses to think about it. She looks over at Rachel on the couch next to her, who's eyes are glued to the tv while she lets out a quick laugh here and there.

Quinn smiles and takes the time to study her face. She has no idea why she's never acknowledged just how pretty Rachel was before tonight. Even without makeup, the woman was gorgeous. Her smooth, tanned skin was completely flawless. And while her eyes were a common shade of brown, they were probably the most expressive eyes that Quinn had ever seen.

Her phone going off again snaps her out of her thoughts.

**Santana: Hello? Q-tip are you there?**

Quinn laughs before typing out a reply that tonight's no good.

Rachel hears the phone go off and peeks over curiously to see Quinn texting that Santana girl.

She can't help herself when she asks, "Santana is your girlfriend, right?"

Quinn gives her a questioning look, "No. We're just friends." She quickly fumbles to put her phone away.

Rachel smirks, "Just friends? Or what is it called nowadays...fuck buddies?"

Quinn starts sputtering in shock. "Oh my god, Rachel! What the hell?"

The older can't help but laugh at how flustered her niece is. "I'm sorry!" she says in between breaths. "Sometimes I don't have a filter."

"You think?" Quinn yells in disbelief at the laughing woman.

Rachel finally starts calming down and wipes the tears from her eyes, still grinning. "Sorry. But that look you gave was just priceless."

Quinn feels her face heating up and brings up her hands to cover it.

"Hey," Rachel says, pulling on one of Quinn's arms. "There's no need to be ashamed of your sex life. We're both adults here. I don't want you to be uncomfortable around me."

"Whatever, I know. It's just weird. I don't even like talking to my mom about this stuff."

"Don't worry. I'm not gonna go telling Judy about everything we talk about. Think of me as your cool aunt, or at the very least a friend, that you can talk about anything to. No judgement."

Quinn lifts an eyebrow, "No judgement?"

Rachel brings up a finger to draw a cross over her heart. "No judgment," she repeats. "On anything, I promise. However, I will have a few harsh words with you if you ever knock some girl up."

Quinn feels anxiety creeping over her again. But this time for a different reason.

"So, you know about..." she can't bring herself to finish the sentence and instead vaguely gestures to the lower half of her body.

Rachel can tell the girl is nervous and does her best to give a calming smile. "Of course I do, Quinn. I was there when you were born after all."

Quinn wasn't aware of that fact until now.

"Are you upset with me?" Rachel asks.

"No. It's strange knowing now that you're also one of the few people that knows about this."

"And we all still love you just the same."

Quinn looks at the sincerity in Rachel's eyes and says, "Thank you."

Rachel nods before pushing the conversation in a different direction. "So if this 'Santana' isn't your girlfriend, then she's just a friends with benefits or something like that?"

Quinn shrugs, "Something like that. It's a deeper connection because she's one of my best friends. I just don't feel anything more than that for her. Romantically at least."

"You don't think sleeping together is a bad idea for your friendship at all?" Rachel asks.

Quinn is relieved that her tone is more curious than demeaning,

"No, I don't think so. I mean, she's in love with this other girl that she can't have. And I haven't really found anybody yet. So it's really just to pass time, as bad as that sounds."

"Don't you want a chance to find the right person?"

"Well, yeah of course. Eventually. But right now I'm young."

"That's true. But trust me, you'll find the right person one day. And she'll give you all the happiness that you deserve. But if what you have with Santana is good enough for you, then who am I to say anything?"

Quinn nods in understanding, thinking over Rachel's words. She knows this thing with Santana won't last forever.

"And what about you?" she asks. "No one new in your life since...what's his name? Finn?"

Rachel sighs and shakes her head. "No, I haven't dated anyone since we separated. And it's probably not a good idea right now since I'm still trying to get myself together. I mean, who would wanna date a divorced, unemployed, thirty year-old, college drop out?" she jokes lightly, but Quinn can make out a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Hey, you don't know that. I'm sure there's plenty of guys that would wanna date you. Like, um..." she trails off.

"Like losers with low standards," Rachel finishes for her. Quinn opens her mouth to protest before Rachel stops her. "It's okay. I told you I was trying to better myself. And if that means putting my dating life on hold, then so be it. It's not a priority right now.

Quinn nods, gaining more respect for the woman. "Well when you do find someone, he'll need my approval first."

Rachel agrees with a firm nod, "Of course."

Quinn leans back into the couch and lets out a yawn. She glances at her phone again to see that it's already past two in the morning.

"It's late. I should probably head home," she says while standing up.

"You know you're always welcome to stay here in the guest bedroom," Rachel offers. "Not like anyone ever goes in there anyway."

Quinn smiles. "Maybe next time when I actually have something to wear besides jeans."

"Deal," Rachel nods.

They make it to the front door when Rachel speaks again. "I'll walk with you to make sure you get home safely."

"It's just five minutes away. Don't worry about it."

"Quinn, a young girl like you shouldn't be out alone this late at night. There are murderers, rapists, and thieves out there."

Quinn scoffs. "Rachel, this is Lima, the most boring place on earth where nothing ever happens. I'm pretty sure that I'll be okay."

"Fine," Rachel huffs. She holds a hand out. "Give me your phone."

Quinn wordlessly does as she's told and watches as the older woman types something quickly before handing the device back.

"You have my number. Text me when you get home," she demands.

"Will do." Quinn steps out of the doorway but is stopped when she feels a tug on her arm.

She turns around gasps when Rachel forcefully pulls her into a tight hug. Quinn feels her heart rate quicken and swears she can actually hear it pounding in her head. She carefully brings her arms up to wrap around the shorter woman's shoulders and return the embrace. Quinn finds that she actually doesn't mind this at all. Rachel shifts slightly and Quinn can't help herself when she subtly inhales the sweet scent of the other girl's hair and notes how soft it feels against her cheek. Yeah, Quinn definitely doesn't mind this.

The moment is over almost as soon as it began as Rachel steps back to smile at her niece. "Thanks for keeping me company tonight. I'll see you later?"

Quinn nods, still somewhat in a daze. "Yeah. Good night."

Rachel closes the door and when Quinn hears it lock, she begins her trek back to her house.

While walking, she can't help but think about how weird that hug was. Not the hug itself. It was innocent enough. But rather how she felt during it. It was something indescribable and definitely new. She had never felt that way while holding anyone before.

Quinn decides to try and shrug it off and believe it was probably just because it was with someone that she truly believed cared about her. Not to say that her parents and friends didn't care. But maybe it had to do with Rachel being this new person in her life. That would make sense, right?

She doesn't know. She tries to forget about the hug. She tries to forget about the fact that it felt like she spent the whole evening with a best friend that she sees all the time. It's probably just an off day. Quinn thinks that getting some sleep will help put her mind at ease.

* * *

Rachel decided to go over and say hello to Judy and Russell since they both had the afternoon off. She hasn't really gotten a chance to see her sister since the day she moved, but Judy did constantly call her whenever she had time to check up. The couple looked tired, but still excited to see her. They were all sitting in the living room and talking. Rachel had told them she was finished unpacking and that everything was in order. They promised they would go by sometime soon to see the house.

She was also happy to tell them about how their daughter had visited the previous night. They seemed to be pleasantly surprised.

"I'm really glad that you and Quinn are bonding," Judy smiles. "She doesn't really open herself up to anyone right away."

Rachel grins with the statement. Of course she didn't tell them the specifics of what her and Quinn had talked about, just that they had a good heart to heart.

"Lord knows she needs some better role models in her life," Russell adds.

"And we're not good role models for our daughter?" Judy asks teasingly.

"I meant role model friends that aren't Santana and Mohawk boy," he answers back.

"Role models or not, you know you love those kids." Russell smiles at his wife's statement.

Just then, they hear the front door open and loud voices going into the kitchen.

"Speak of the devil. Looks like they're back from the movies already. I'm gonna go help Puckerman raid the fridge." Russell quickly gets up and heads to the kitchen to join the others.

Rachel stands. "I should probably get going. But I'll say hi to Quinn and her friends on my way out."

Judy gives her younger sister a hug. "Take care. I'm sorry I haven't been there these past few days. But I'll see if I can switch some shifts around to be home more."

"Judy, please. Don't worry about me. I'm fine."

Rachel smiles gratefully before heading in the direction of the kitchen. She bumps into Russell on his way out with a sandwich in hand.

"I told Quinn that you stopped by," he informs her with a smile.

"Thanks Russell. I'll see you later." He nods and walks back to the living room.

As Rachel steps towards the kitchen, she hears a male voice say, "I didn't know had an aunt. What gives, Fabray?"

She turns the corner to see who she assumes to be Puck digging around in the fridge, along with Quinn and a young, dark haired girl sitting at the table. The girl who she guesses is Santana has her back towards Rachel and is concentrated on filing her nails. Quinn sees her come in and smiles, but the other two seem to be oblivious to her presence.

Rachel is about to open her mouth to say hello before Santana's words stop her dead in her tracks.

"Yeah, her evil, narcissistic, crazy bitch aunt Rachel," Santana says to Puck.

"What? Really?" the boy asks with his head still deep in the fridge.

Rachel locks eyes with Quinn for a moment, both too stunned to say or do anything.

"That's about as much as Quinn's told me," Santana shrugs. "And that she's a selfish shrew who walks around like she's got a stick lodged up her ass."

Rachel suddenly feels incredibly humiliated and silently turns on her heel without a word.

Quinn watches her go and wants to run after her, but knows that it'll probably seem odd to her friends, especially since they weren't aware Rachel was even in the room. So she decides to wait for now. She feels herself growing irrationally angry with Santana. She remembers saying those things, but that was the first day Rachel moved back. Before she really even knew her.

Puck finally emerges from the fridge with some leftovers. "That true, Quinn?" he asks.

"No," she says with a scowl.

"That's what you were saying the other day," Santana reminds her nonchalantly.

"Well it's not true. So just lay off of Rachel."

Santana puts her nail file down and finally looks up at Quinn. "What's your problem?"

"Nothing!" she snaps. "I was wrong about Rachel and I don't like you saying those things about her."

"You're the one that said them in the first place."

"I don't care!"

Santana holds her hands up in surrender. "Whoa jeez, calm down. I'm sorry, okay?"

Puck watches as the two go back and forth. "I wanna meet her and see what the big deal is," he says with his mouth full.

* * *

Rachel leans back against the counter as she nurses her second glass of wine that night. She has her eyes closed and has been trying to relax by listening to the light music playing, but it hasn't been working. She's feels upset and embarrassed.

She knows that she shouldn't be this upset. She's been called worse things before, even to her face. She knows that she shouldn't be fazed by what some kids say about her.

With a bit of alcohol in her system, she's able to admit to herself that she's only bothered this much because of the fact that it was Quinn. She has no idea why, but knowing Quinn said those things about her makes her heart ache. But who is she kidding? Of course her niece can't stand her. How could she?

Rachel thinks back to the night before. Quinn had seemed so genuine when they talked. That was probably just her being polite. Rachel did practically beg her to stay after all. She probably thought Rachel was just so sad and pathetic, but she didn't have the heart to be rude and only hung around out of pity.

Of course that's why, Rachel thinks. But why does it even bother her this much? Why does it hurt so much this time?

Rachel jumps when the doorbell rings. Once again, she wasn't expecting company. She frowns and puts her wine glass down. The doorbell rings again as she makes her way to the front of the house.

"Coming!" she calls out.

She swings open the door only to see Quinn standing on her doorstep. Rachel quickly decides that she can't know how upset she is to preserve her pride. So she plasters on a fake smile.

"Hey Quinn! It's nice to see you!"

The younger girl shifts nervously from one foot to the other. "Can I come in?"

"Of course," Rachel answers as she steps back allowing the blonde to enter.

Quinn watches as Rachel walks to the kitchen and follows right behind her. The older girl picks up a glass of wine from the counter and starts downing it.

"Barbra Streisand? Really?" Quinn laughs at the music playing.

Rachel blushes before yanking the iPod from its docking system, effectively silencing the room.

"Babs is a guilty pleasure," she explains while pouring herself another glass of wine.

Quinn frowns, "Everything okay?"

"Fine," she says before exiting the kitchen and going to the couch. She didn't mean to come off the way she did to her niece. But she can't help it right now.

Quinn sighs and follows after her again, suddenly feeling unwelcome. She sits down at the other end of the couch, neither woman looking at the other.

It's Quinn who finally breaks the silence. "Look, about what Santana said, I -"

"No, Quinn. You don't have to explain anything to me. I understand."

"No you don't. I don't really think those things about you."

"Quinn," Rachel says more sternly. She sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose. "You don't have to pretend to like me to spare my feelings. You don't have to be here because you feel sorry for me, okay? I can manage just fine."

"Rachel, stop. I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to be, okay? I'm here because I like being around you. And because I need to apologize."

Rachel shakes her head, "That's not necessary. I already told you that I -"

"Shut up," Quinn says quickly. Rachel's mouth hangs open incredulously. But before she can retort, Quinn beats her to the punch. "Yes, I said those things the first day you came back. It was incredibly ignorant on my part. I knew nothing about you, Rachel. It was all sudden and I was just venting to Santana."

Rachel nods slowly, but doesn't say anything. Quinn goes on.

"I shouldn't have judged you like that before getting to know you. Because you're not like that at all. You're actually pretty awesome. Like so awesome that I wanna hang out with you more."

Quinn takes a breath and stares at Rachel, who's looking back with an unreadable expression.

"So I'm sorry," she continues. "I really am. And I'm hoping that you'll forgive me?"

Rachel smiles, and Quinn can tell that it's genuine this time. "I'll always forgive you, Quinn. And I'm sorry for acting like this. I know that I'm older, but I still feel insecure every once in a while," she says while casting her eyes downward.

Quinn reaches over and lightly touches the other woman's shoulder. "We all have our insecurities."

Rachel smiles sadly. "That is true. But I stand by what I said. I only want you to be here if you truly want to be."

Quinn smirks and settles back into the couch. "Then you're gonna have a hard time getting rid of me."

Rachel laughs before grabbing the tv remote. "Good. So, you up for another marathon of I Love Lucy?"


	3. Chapter 3

"Puck! Your tassel is on the wrong side, you idiot."

"Well, shit. It's not like they tell us these things."

"They said it like ten times during rehearsal! Were you even paying attention?"

"It's fixed! You happy now?"

Quinn shakes her head as she watches her best friends argue once again. They weren't the only irritated ones. The entire senior class was currently backstage at their graduation ceremony, adorning their red cap and gowns. They had been crowded back there for over half an hour and everyone was starting to become impatient. The ceremony was supposed to start any moment now.

She feels the vibrating of her phone and looks at it only to smile.

**Rachel: Good luck! Try not to fall on your face :p**

Quinn types out a reply.

**Quinn: Shut up! You're making me more nervous than I already am!**

She looks up to see Puck peeking the the curtain draped between them and the audience.

"Do you see my parents?" Santana asks.

"Yeah, they're in the second row," he tells her.

"Are mine here yet?" Quinn asks. She knows that they were still getting ready by the time she left and wouldn't be surprised if they were late.

"Uh," Puck scans all over the crowd for them. "Yeah, I see them in the third row."

Quinn nods.

"Holy shit! Who's that with your parents?" Puck asks.

Quinn moves him aside to look through the curtain, though she has a pretty good idea of who he's asking about. And sure enough, wearing a simple blue dress with perfect hair and makeup, was her aunt. The woman is laughing while looking at her phone as she sits next to an eager looking Judy and Russell.

"That's just Rachel," she tells him.

"What!" he goes to look back through the curtains again. "That's you're aunt Rachel? No fucking way. Why have you been holding out on us?"

Quinn rolls her eyes and ignores him.

Santana shoves him out of the way to see for herself. "No way, that girl with the dark hair and blue dress is your aunt?"

"Yeah, that's her."

"Damn, Q. She's hot." Quinn laughs at both of her friends trying to ogle Rachel at the same time. Puck was hunched over with Santana's elbow digging into his back.

"She looks nothing like you and Judes," Santana comments.

"She was adopted. And she's a lot younger than my mom," Quinn explains.

Puck turns around faster than the speed of light. "So, you're not actually related? Dude! You gotta let me hit that! She single?"

"Fuck off, Puckerman," she snaps. "Don't even think about it."

"Aww, but Quinn!"

She ignores him once again when she receives another text message.

**Rachel: You know I'm joking. You'll be fine. Any crazy plans tonight?**

Quinn remembers the party at Dave Karofsky's that most of the seniors were going to. Puck had convinced her and Santana to go, much to her dismay.

**Quinn: Yeah I've got some lame party to go to after dinner**

The reply is instant.

**Rachel: Will there be alcohol?**

Quinn laughs.

**Quinn: Lol I would hope so, but more than likely yes**

She knows that Rachel won't tell her mom anything about this so she might as well be honest.

**Rachel: Quinn! You'd better not be driving tonight!**

"Alright, places everyone! Just like rehearsal! Move it, Sandbags! Karofsky, if you don't get that cap on your head right, you're not walking! Get off the floor you lazy walruses! Come on!"

Quinn shudders at Sue Sylvester's booming voice. Hopefully she'll never have to see that woman again after this. She rapidly takes her place in line and discreetly types out one last text.

**Quinn: Santana's driving me so stop worrying. And the show's about to start so I'll so you after!**

She hears Principal Figgins calling out names on the microphone and ends up sandwiched in line between Sam Evans and some other jock from the football team, both wearing too much cologne. She groans and shoves her phone back in her pocket.

"Azimio Adams."

Quinn feels like she's in a sauna with everyone crammed together and she can't wait to get out of there. Names are being called in a seemingly never ending list and she grows bored quickly.

"Michael Chang."

More names are called out one by one followed by immediate applause. Quinn frowns when her stomach starts growling. She perks up when she thinks about stuffing herself with bread sticks after this and -

"Samuel Evans."

Oh crap, she's next.

She takes a deep breath and gets her "award winning" smile ready. Or at least that's what Coach Sylvester called it when she drilled it into the whole team.

"Quinn Fabray."

She looks to the crowd as they applaud for her. Everything seems to go in slow motion in this moment as she walks across the stage. It's almost surreal.

She only manages to lock her eyes onto one person, the small brunette jumping up and down, clapping with a beaming smile on her face.

Every other face in the crowd is pretty much blurred to her. Her heart can't help but flutter seeing Rachel look so happy for her. She's vaguely aware of Principal Figgins shaking one hand and placing a diploma in the other. It's only when Judy's camera starts blinding her eyes that she snaps out of it.

Quinn flashes one last smile before exiting the stage.

* * *

Quinn munches on her third breadstick in the past five minutes. Totally worth the wait, she thinks.

She and her two best friends, along with her parents and Rachel, were all crowded in a booth at Breadstix.

"Looks like all of McKinley decided to show up," Russell remarks and takes another sip of wine.

Quinn and Santana both nod absentmindedly as they scarf down more breadsticks.

"Slow down, girls. Save room for dinner," Judy reprimands.

Quinn ignores her as she's now focused on something else. She glares down the table at Puck, who happens to be sitting across from Rachel, and no doubt flirting with her. Didn't she tell him not to bother her?

She hears him going on about his pool cleaning business and rolls her eyes. Rachel looks like she's trying to stifle a laugh.

"So, are you guys excited for an entire summer without cheer practice for once?" Judy asks.

Santana groans, "Oh god, yes. I have four years of sleep to catch up on."

Quinn chuckles. "I definitely won't miss the three hour suicides."

"For real! I've thrown up like ten times cause of that shit."

"I know, I was there. I was also at the top of the pyramid during one of those times," Quinn reminds her.

"Yeah we were there too...at the hospital for Quinn's sprained wrist!" Russell joins in.

Santana nearly spits out her drink in laughter. Quinn cringes at the memory of falling straight into a pile of vomit. None of the girls were brave enough to step in it to catch her, leaving her to plunge to her doom.

"I almost had a heart attack that day!" Judy cries. "My poor Quinnie!"

"Ugh, mom. Don't call me that," Quinn whines.

"What? I was so scared! And you just wouldn't stop crying!"

Santana doubles over in laughter while Russell can't help snickering.

"Okay, first of all, I was fifteen. Second of all, I was covered in puke. You would all be crying too! And third of all, coach told me I would be off the team if I dared to cry on her field. I had to hold it in until I got to the hospital!"

"Whatever. Coach had me do suicides for two more hours when you left for 'damaging her head cheerleader'," Santana air quotes.

"That's ludicrous!" Judy cries.

"Right!"

Her friend and mom continue to rant, but Quinn tunes her out as someone else catches her attention. She looks to Rachel only to see her aunt smiling at her, probably listening in on their conversation and ignoring Puck. She's giving her a both intrigued and amused look. Quinn bashfully smiles back and averts her gaze to shove another breadstick in her mouth.

* * *

Almost an hour goes by before their food finally arrives. Quinn is now sitting across from Rachel since she made Puck switch seats with her. After arguing, and losing miserably, he reluctantly agreed.

She smirks as she watches her parents grill him and Santana about their college plans. He looks incredibly bummed out. Serves him right.

"Your friends seem...interesting," Rachel says to her in a voice low enough for only them to hear.

Quinn scoffs, "It's alright. You can say that they're rude with terrible social skills. Won't hurt my feelings one bit."

"Okay, I know I'm older," Rachel whispers to Quinn as she leans across the table. "But I'm pretty sure that when your friend offered to clean my pool and mow my lawn, he was saying that he actually wants to...mow my lawn," she giggles. "What a charmer."

Quinn raises her eyebrows, "That's Puck for you."

"Well my pool does need cleaning," Rachel says. "It looks like the previous owners haven't fished the leaves out in a while. And your friend did offer a discount."

"Rachel, he just wants to get in your pants," she whispers harshly. "Don't be stupid."

"Calm down. Do you really think that I would sleep with one of your friends? How low do you think of me?" Rachel asks with sadness in her voice.

Quinn sighs, "That's not how I meant it. It's just that he's notorious for...mowing the lawn of every woman in Lima, and I told him to stay away from you."

"Quinn, I would never do that to you. So stop worrying about it. I'll call another pool cleaning service if it makes you feel better."

"No, don't do that. You can have Puck do it. He actually does a pretty good job anyway."

Rachel shrugs, "I'll think about it."

Judy turns her attention to them and starts conversing with Rachel. Puck, Santana, and Russell are still talking amongst each other. Quinn sighs in relief knowing that no one else overheard their quick, heated conversation.

She loves Puck. She really does. And he can sleep with every girl in Ohio for all she cares.

Just not Rachel.

Because Rachel is way too good for that. Definitely too good for him. And especially too good for her jerk of an ex husband. She deserves so much more. She deserves all the love that she gets in life and then some.

Quinn watches as Rachel laughs with the others. Quinn loves that laugh. She's always so graceful with everything she does, and it just comes off as second nature.

She looks so beautiful, Quinn thinks. The way her eyes light up when she's enjoying herself is indescribable. And her smile is just something else. It's so amazing. Quinn wishes she could be able to see that smile everyday. To be able to make her smile every day. And just find ways to make her happy and...

Wait...what?

...

Quinn stops breathing. Time seems to slow as everything comes crashing down on her at once. It all seems to suddenly make sense. The jealousy she was feeling when Puck was flirting. All the times she couldn't help staring, which is literally all the time now. The longing to be with her every minute over the past several days. The fact that the woman was always on her mind now.

Holy shit, Quinn thinks. She totally has a crush on Rachel. Her aunt Rachel. Aunt Rachel.

Something inside of her snaps and she feels like a bucket of cold water was just thrown on her face. She starts mentally berating herself.

How could this have happened? It's completely wrong! Wrong on so many levels. Rachel is family, for Christ's sake! She can't have feelings for someone in her family. It's insane. And completely fucked up.

Santana nudging her drags her out of her inner turnoil.

"You okay?" she whispers. "You're staring into space like you wanna kill something."

Quinn starts panicking for a second. There's no way that Santana can already know, can she? That would be completely ridiculous. But not entirely impossible.

"Earth to Quinn," her friend says a little louder, waving a hand in front of her face.

"I'm fine!" she chokes out, trying to get herself together.

Santana raises an eyebrow at her, not quite convinced.

"I'm fine," she repeats more calmly this time, to reassure herself more than anything.

She chances one more look at Rachel as she's laughing with Judy and shakes her head. This is so fucked up.

* * *

They've been at the party at Dave Karofsky's for at least three hours, and Quinn has been sitting in the same spot on the couch since they got there, nursing beers that her friends have been bringing to her.

It looks like everyone at Breadstix came here right after. There's hardly any room with everyone crammed together and dancing in the living room. For once, she doesn't mind the insanely loud music since it's sort of helping her distract her from her thoughts.

She looks around at all of the familiar faces. Most of which she'll probably have nothing to do with ever again. Not that she cares. She learned more over the years that high school is nothing but a complete joke.

She notices Santana dancing near the corner of the room with Brittany Pierce, the girl Santana has long been in love with for a long time but is too scared to do anything about it. The two had messed around throughout most of high school with no strings attached. But Santana was too stubborn to admit her feelings. Brittany ended things completely when she started dating Sam earlier this year.

The two are still very good friends, if the way they're grinding right now is anything to go by. Quinn just wishes that her friend would finally pull her head out of her ass and do something.

The songs ends and Brittany whispers something in Santana's ear before running off to the kitchen. Santana sees Quinn sitting alone on the couch and joins her.

"You doing okay?" she asks.

Quinn looks at her and nods with a reassuring smile.

But honestly, she's far from okay right now. Quinn looks around at other couples dancing together. For a moment, she wishes that she could be able to dance with Rachel like that but quickly tells herself she can't be thinking these things. She needs to find a way to get over whatever these feelings are and fast.

Get over it before things get worse. It's already bad enough and she's just only realizing her feelings.

She chugs the rest of the beer in her cup and sets it down on the floor.

Nip it in the bud. Just get over it. That's what she needs to do.

Puck spots them on the couch and makes his way over to sit between them.

"Fuck yes. We're finally done with high school," he grins.

"Yeah, I'm glad I had you guys to help me get through it," Quinn says.

"Definitely. I'd say we did it right," Puck says and all three nod their heads in agreement.

"I don't know if it's just me, but this is kind of boring for our last high school party ever," Santana yells to them over the music.

"No, you're right," Quinn agrees.

"It'll probably get better if we do some shots," Puck suggests.

Quinn nods and follows her friends into the kitchen.

* * *

She's not sure how many tequila shots she's had. She lost count somewhere around five. There might have been a game or two of beer pong. She doesn't remember. All she knows is that the counter she's leaning on keeps shifting back and forth from diagonal to horizontal. She leans down to put her face on it and giggles.

"Looks like Quinn's drunk," she faintly hears a male voice say.

"Fuck you, Puckerman! You're drunk!" she calls out, only to burst into another fit of giggles.

"Okay, Q-Tip. Up you go."

Santana pulls the blonde off the counter and holds her by the waist so she doesn't fall over.

"You got her?" Puck asks.

Santana rolls her eyes. "Yeah I guess so."

Quinn closes her eyes and nuzzles her friend's shoulder, feeling a little sleepy. "I'm sorry I'm drunk."

Santana laughs, "Don't worry. Everyone's drunk."

Quinn doesn't say anything and just nods her head, returning to her micronap.

When she opens her eyes again, she stands up straight and leans with her hands planted on the counter. She turns to Santana only to see the girl staring murderously at something in the distance.

Quinn turns her head to see Sam and Brittany making out rather aggressively right outside the open back door. She frowns and turns back to her friend.

"You're not being very subtle." Quinn was trying to whisper, but ended up shouting rather loud.

Santana's eyes widen before she slaps a hand over the blonde's mouth.

"Keep your voice down," she says.

"Sorry," Quinn mumbles.

Santana brings her hand down before crossing her arms over her chest with a forlorn look on her face.

Quinn frowns and wraps an arm around her waist. "It's okay," she tells her.

"Do you wanna go?" her friend asks suddenly.

Quinn thinks about it. She's not having that much fun and it looks like Santana is miserable.

"Where's Puck?" she asks.

"He went with some girl to the pool."

Quinn shudders to think about what's going on in that pool. "Yeah, I'm ready to go," she says.

Before she knows what's going on, Santana is dragging her through the sea of people in the living room and out the front door. She doesn't even get the chance to say bye to anyone, not that she honestly cares.

Santana is able to get them both to her car unscathed. She opens the passenger door and gently helps Quinn settle in her seat.

"You okay to drive?" Quinn asks as she fumbles to put her seat belt on.

"I'm fine," she slams the door and goes to the driver's side.

Quinn swears that she only closed her eyes for maybe ten seconds. But apparently not because when she opens them again, they're parked in front of her house.

"I think I fell asleep."

"Yeah, you were snoring a little," Santana smiles.

Quinn grimaces and unbuckles herself. Before she opens the door, she turns to her friend to say bye, but stops when she notices the other girl's eyes glistening with unshed tears.

She reaches over to lightly touch her shoulder. "Hey, it's okay."

Santana wordlessly unbuckles herself and leans over the center console to Quinn, who's too drunk and surprised to react.

The dark haired girl attaches her lips to Quinn's neck and leaves soft kisses on a trail from the base to her ear. Quinn moans and tilts her head to the side for better access. It feels really good this time, probably because she's drunk.

She feels a hand slowly making it's way up her dress right to the edge of her boxer briefs. The other girl wastes no time and cups her through the material.

Quinn gasps and opens her eyes to shift her gaze downward. She sees the dark hair of someone assaulting her neck. And her unfocused mind can't help but wander.

For a quick moment, she's imagining Rachel there instead of Santana. Pressing her plump lips against her neck and massaging her length through her shorts. The thought makes her grow incredibly harder and it's only then that Quinn realizes where her just imagination is going.

"Santana! Stop!" she cries.

The Latina jumps back in panic. "What? What's wrong?"

Quinn shakes her head and takes a deep breath. She covers her face with her hands and tries to calm down, feeling completely ashamed of herself.

"Quinn, I'm sorry. I know that I should have asked you first but I -"

"No, that's not it," Quinn cuts her off.

"Okay? If you're tired we don't have to do this tonight."

Quinn shakes her head again and sighs. "You're only doing this because you're upset about Brittany," she tells her.

"So what? We use each other and we're both okay with that. We talked about this."

"We can't run from our problems forever," Quinn says. "It's great but we deserve better than this. And you know that. It's just not right anymore."

Santana exhales and reluctantly nods her head. "I know. I'm sorry, Quinn."

Quinn notices that she's on the verge of tears again.

"No, I'm sorry," she pulls her friend into her side.

"Pfft, what are you sorry for? You were being the smart one here. And you're a drunk mess."

Quinn just shrugs. She didn't give the whole reason as to why she wanted to stop. The thought that she can't even be completely honest with her best friend makes her feel a little guilty. And there's the slight fear that Santana would want nothing to do with her if she knew.

"Will you still love me even when I'm messed up?" she asks.

"We're all messed up. So don't ever think that it's just you. And yes, I'll always love you no matter what." Santana sits up straight. "Now enough of this sappy shit. We'll talk more tomorrow. Let's get you inside."

Both girls get out of the car and walk up the driveway to the front door. Quinn unlocks it and turns knob to open it.

"Text me tomorrow Q-Ball," Santana smirks before retreating back to her car.

Quinn watches her friend get in and drive off down the road. She turns around and looks at the doorknob still in her hand and frowns.

She doesn't feel like going to her room just yet. She wants to see somebody.

Grinning, she closes the door and starts running back down the driveway, stumbling in the process.

* * *

Rachel groans and tosses over in her bed. What is that damn noise? It's been pulling her in and out of sleep for the past five minutes now.

When she hears it again, she gets fed up and sits up in her bed. She looks around, confused, only to see that it's her cell phone ringing.

She rubs her eyes before snatching up the annoying device. With one look at the screen, she becomes suddenly awake and quickly answers the call.

"Quinn?"

"Raaachellll," she hears on the other end.

She sighs, "Quinn, it's three in the morning."

"Rachel."

"Quinn."

"Raachelll."

"Quinn?"

"Ray...chell!" Quinn giggles to herself and keeps repeating the name.

Rachel quickly realizes that the younger girl is without a doubt completely wasted.

"Quinn!"

"Mmm?"

She figures she at least has her attention now. "Are you okay? Where are you?"

"Hmm, I don't know?"

Rachel sighs, "Are you at home?"

"No," Quinn states with finality.

"What? Where are you?" Rachel quickly shuffles out of her bed.

"Um, I don't know? I'm somewhere outside?"

Rachel scrambles to find the robe hanging on her closet door and wraps it around her body. She then fumbles in the dark to find her shoes.

She holds the phone between her ear and shoulder. "Where outside are you? Do you know where you're at?"

"Mmm, it's a surprise."

Rachel is able to get her shoes on and heads out of her room.

"Quinn, just stay where you are! I'm coming to get you!"

She knew having no car would make this task near impossible. So she was already plotting out her plan to quietly sneak into Judy's house with her spare key and take Quinn's car to find her. She said she was riding with Santana to that party so it should still be there.

"Rachel!"

"Hold on, I'm coming!"

She throws open the front door and nearly trips over the blonde sitting on her doorstep. She's able to catch herself using the doorframe.

"Quinn!"

The girl smiles sheepishly up at her. "Surprise?"

Rachel lets out a puff of air in relief. "What are you doing here?"

Quinn carefully stands herself up. "I just wanted to say hi."

Rachel rolls her eyes and grabs her niece by the elbow. "Come on. Get inside."

When she's sure that Quinn is able to walk on her own, Rachel marches towards the kitchen with the girl following right behind her. She pulls a water bottle out of the fridge and hands it over.

"Drink this," she demands.

Quinn takes the bottle and examines it with a frown. "Why?"

"Drink the damn water!"

Jumping in surprise, Quinn twists off the cap and starts chugging. Rachel takes a calming breath and leans against the counter, running a hand through her hair.

"I don't want you to be hungover tomorrow," she explains.

Quinn puts the bottle down and lays a hand on her shoulder. "Please don't be mad at me."

"I'm sorry. I'm not mad at you. I just get really cranky when I'm woken up in the middle of the night."

"Oh. I didn't know you were asleep."

"I'm just glad you're okay," Rachel smiles.

"As long as you're not mad. I don't wanna see you mad. That would be scary."

Rachel tilts her head, amused. "You think it would be scary to see me mad?"

Quinn nods her head fervently. "Yeah. I think that you'll yell and yell and your face will turn red. Like really red and your whole body will inflate. Then you'll grow claws and turn into a giant crab and spin in circles until you eat everything and everyone."

Rachel snorts, "That's ridiculous."

"I know it is. I just wanted to make you laugh. You're way too serious right now. It's weird," Quinn smiles.

"No, what's weird is you showing up drunk at my doorstep at three in the morning. Why aren't you at home?"

Quinn shrugs. "I missed being here?"

"Quinn, you've been here nearly everyday since I got here. And if you don't want to be at home, you should be with your friends on your big night."

"I was with them earlier. And now I'm here. Okay? Plus, it got weird with Santana."

Rachel knows it's none of her business, but she can't help but pry. "How did it get weird with Santana?"

"She wanted to...you know. In the car. But then I told her I didn't want to do that with her anymore."

"Is it because of what I said about it?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Quinn nods.

"Quinn! Don't listen to me about relationships! I can barely keep my own shit together. I don't want to ruin your life too!" she cries.

"No. You were right."

"It wasn't my place to say anything!" Rachel throws her hands up. "And now look. I've ruined your friendship with her."

"Rachel, stop." Quinn suddenly feels a bit sober and braces her hands against the shorter woman's shoulders to calm her down. "You were right. We both deserved better and nothing good was going to come out of it. I knew it. She knew it. And now we're fine. We're still friends!"

"Oh," Rachel says, slightly embarrassed. "Well I guess it's good that you're still friends."

Quinn nods. "You didn't do anything wrong. Remember that."

Rachel smiles.

"Is it okay if I stay here tonight?" Quinn asks suddenly.

Rachel scoffs. "Well that's a given. I'm not letting you go home like this."

"I'd rather be here than home."

"I know. You said that already. And why is that? Do you not like living with your parents? Is everything okay?" Rachel asks with concern.

Quinn shakes her head. "It's fine over there. Besides the fact that they work a lot. I just like being here. Because I like you a lot."

"Well I'm glad. Because I feel like you're the only real friend I have now."

Quinn gives her a goofy smile, "You're amazing, Rach."

Rachel feels her cheeks heat up at the compliment. That's something she hasn't heard in a long time.

She clears her throat. "Let's get you to bed."

She leads Quinn into the guest bedroom and sits her down on the bed.

"Stay here. I'm going to find something for you to wear."

Quinn nods and does as she's told. Her eyelids are starting to feel really heavy.

Rachel returns with some sweat pants and a t-shirt. Quinn immediately stands and shamelessly pulls her dress over her head, ready for sleep.

Rachel blushes and averts her eyes, blindly holding out the clothes for her niece. When she feels Quinn take them, she quickly turns her back and waits. The room may be dark, but she feels the need to give her at least some privacy.

After a minute, Quinn speaks, "Okay. You can look now."

Rachel turns around to see Quinn crawling into the bed.

"Will you stay for a bit?" Quinn asks.

She nods and sits down on the side of the bed. She knows the girl isn't far from passing out.

"I'm glad you're okay. And I guess I'm glad you came here."

Quinn hums in agreement.

"Are you happy to be done with high school?" Rachel asks.

"Mhmm," Quinn's breathing becomes deeper. "I'm ready to get out into the real world."

"Well, the real world isn't all it's cracked up to be. Trust me."

"It can't be that bad. As long as you're there."

Rachel smiles, feeling genuinely appreciated for once. She doesn't respond and allows Quinn to finally fall asleep.

When she hears the girl's breathing evened out, she reaches forward to gently brush the long blonde hair out of her face.

"Goodnight Quinn," she whispers.

She then quietly gets up and leaves the room.


	4. Chapter 4

Quinn feels morning light creeping up on her face and groans. She dares to peek one eye open and sighs, remembering that she's not in her own room. Sitting up, she shakes her head at herself and the memory of all that happened the night before.

She doesn't know in what world she thought it would be a good idea to come see Rachel while she was drunk. But luckily, she remembers enough to know that she didn't let anything slip. But still, she can't do this again. It was stupid and reckless.

Quinn carefully climbs out of the bed and stretches. She then picks up the discarded dress on the floor but not before blushing. After quickly making up the bed, she leaves the guest bedroom.

There's no sign of Rachel in the living room, so Quinn decides to sit on the couch for a bit. She looks at the clock and sees that it's only eight in the morning, which is pretty early to be up after a night of drinking.

She thinks back and remembers how surprised Rachel was to see her. Why wouldn't she be? What kinds of niece comes knocking at your door in the middle of the night? Quinn knows that she can't keep behaving like this. It hurts, but she knows she's going to have to try to stay away from Rachel before something happens.

Quinn jumps in surprise when she hears the front door unlock and open.

"I'm forever yours...faithfully," Rachel sings as she walks in the door. Quinn smiles, she's never heard Rachel sing before and she actually sounds pretty amazing.

Rachel turns the lock on the door and spins around only to be caught off guard and immediately stops singing. Quinn assumes that she just got back from running as she's wearing a t-shirt and shorts and is completely covered in sweat.

"Quinn! You're up early," she smiles.

Quinn nods. "You have a nice voice," she can't help but say.

Rachel's cheeks turn a light shade of pink as she walks over and sits down on the couch. "I used to sing all the time growing up and actually wanted to do that for a living. I even majored in Musical Theatre in college."

Quinn is honestly surprised because she wasn't aware of what Rachel studied in college. How much about Rachel does she not know? "Then why did you stop singing if you love it so much?"

Rachel doesn't answer, and instead gives a warm smile. "How are you feeling? Hungover I bet?" she changes the subject.

Quinn wants to press the matter, but decides not to because it's none of her business. "No, just tired actually."

"Well I'd say so, considering you only slept for a few hours."

"Yeah...and listen, I'm so sorry about last night. It was stupid to come and wake you up like that."

"Quinn, I already told you last night, don't worry about it. I'm glad that you came here of all places because at least I know you're okay."

Quinn feels her heart swell for a moment. She clears her throat and suddenly stands up.

"I should probably get home," she says.

"If you want, I can make breakfast," Rachel offers as she stands as well.

Quinn shakes her head and starts walking towards the door. "I'm not hungry. I just need to shower and get some more sleep."

"You know you can do that here."

She stops and turns around to look at the hopeful woman. Rachel definitely wasn't making this easy for her. She smiles softly and says, "I really should get home."

Rachel looks down slightly embarrassed. She didn't mean to come off as needy again. "Of course. You're right. I'm sorry."

Quinn nods and opens the door. "I'll see you later."

* * *

Quinn hadn't seen Puck or Santana since the night of their graduation, so the three of them decided to spend the day together and found themselves at the mall. After listening to Quinn and Puck argue for fifteen minutes about which store to go to next, Santana became fed up and forced them all to sit down at the food court for a while and chill out.

Puck is going through all of the t-shirts he's bought so far while Santana types away on her phone.

Quinn feels her own phone vibrate in her pocket. She pulls it out and frowns.

**Rachel: You doing okay? I haven't heard from you in a few days...**

She sighs. It's already been three days since the last time she saw Rachel. And each day she's received a text that she's left unanswered. This whole staying away from her thing was a lot harder than she expected it to be. She was really missing the other woman.

Going against her plan, she replies back this time.

**Quinn: I know. I'm sorry. I've just been really busy lately.**

What a lame and cliché excuse, she thinks.

**Rachel: It's okay. I just miss you :(**

Quinn decides not to play with fire and puts her phone away.

"Who are you texting?" Quinn is startled by Santana's question.

"No one!" she answers quickly.

Her friend doesn't look convinced, and gives her a knowing look. The one that says 'I know you're hiding something'. Quinn hates that look.

Luckily, her phone starts ringing and saves her from further interrogation. Quinn sighs and looks to see that it's a call from her mom.

"Hello?"

"Quinn, your father and I are both off of work tonight. So we're all having dinner at the house," she says quickly, like she's in a hurry.

"All right, sounds good."

"Why don't you invite Santana and Noah over to eat?" Judy asks.

Quinn shrugs. "Yeah, I'll ask them."

"Great. Rachel is coming too so it should be fun. See you later!"

Quinn takes a moment before she pulls the phone down from her face, still trying to process her mom's words. Rachel would be there. Fantastic. Of course avoiding her wouldn't be this easy. And it's not like she can blame her mom for wanting to spend time with her own sister.

"What's up with you?" Puck asks.

Quinn takes a breath and turns to her friends.

"My mom wants to know if you guys wanna come over for dinner later?"

"Free food. You know I'm down." Quinn rolls her eyes at Puck. "And this fatty is probably thinking the same thing," he jokes as he pulls a struggling Santana into a playful headlock.

Quinn nods. "I'll let her know."

"Is Rachel going to be there?" Santana asks.

"Yeah, apparently."

Puck's face lights up. "Nice! I like her. I went by to clean her pool yesterday."

"Excuse me?" Quinn grits through her teeth, ready to rip his fucking head off.

The terrified boy's eyes widen. "No! Nothing like that! Chill out, Quinn."

She continues to glare at him.

He tries again. "I know you'd probably have my balls if did anything. But I swear, I'll never try anything with her. I know she's your family and shit and I respect that. But she actually is pretty cool and fun to be around."

"How did you even get her information?" Quinn questions angrily.

"What's your problem?" Santana interrupts, her question directed at Quinn.

"Yeah. You're making me out to be the Anti-Christ or something," Puck points out. "What's up with you?"

"Nothing," she snaps. "I'm sorry, okay? I'm just not in a good mood today."

Puck decides that it's in his best interest not to say anything more to his friend. So he goes back to organizing his shirts.

Santana is giving her that look again and it makes Quinn want to crawl under the table and hide forever.

* * *

Quinn is helping Judy in the kitchen while Russell, Puck, and Santana hang out in the living room.

"Can you set those plates out?" Judy asks as she pulls a tray out of the oven.

Quinn nods and does as she's told, carefully setting each plate down on the table.

Just as she's finishing, there's a light knock at the front door.

"Can you get that? I've got my hands full. It's probably Rachel."

Quinn swallows and makes her way to the door. She takes a breath and mentally prepares herself before she opens it.

And of course, she still wasn't prepared. Seeing the completely perfect woman standing before her brings all of those poorly repressed feelings back to the forefront of her mind.

"Oh! Hey Quinn." Rachel obviously wasn't expecting her to answer the door.

She steps forward to hug her niece and Quinn has no trouble meeting her halfway. She lets the moment sink in, but not for too long or it would look weird. She gently releases the older woman from her embrace.

"I missed you," Rachel says softly, gazing up at her with those eyes that she loves.

"I missed you too," Quinn nearly whispers.

Rachel smiles. "Let's eat! I'm starving."

Quinn steps aside to allow her in. As she closes the door, she sees her friends approach Rachel. She can't help but scowl when her and Puck embrace in a quick hug.

She hears a throat clearing beside her and looks over to see Santana staring at her strange. Quinn doesn't say anything and goes to the kitchen.

* * *

Dinner went surprisingly smooth, or at least in Quinn's mind it did. She knew that Santana was suspiciously glancing at her every so often. So she didn't dare once to look at Rachel and give away any hint of what she was thinking. She thinks a good job. And Rachel being on the other end of the table by her parents definitely helped. Yeah, she's got this.

"How do you like the pool?" Puck calls out to Rachel.

"Oh, I haven't gotten a chance to use it yet. But you did a great job cleaning it," she says politely. "Maybe I'll try it out when I get home."

"I'll go swimming with you later if you want," he offers.

Quinn picks her head up and looks at him sharply, but he doesn't notice.

But Santana does, and nudges him in the side.

"Or wait, why don't we all go?" he says looking at his two friends. "That'd be cool, right?"

Rachel beams. "Of course. That'd be fun."

"Yeah! That's sounds like an absolutely wonderful idea." Quinn can make out Santana's fake excited voice and it's making her uneasy. "What do you say, Quinn?"

"Yeah, Q. Are you down?" Puck asks.

She looks at the smirking Santana. Fucking instigator. And she can't say no to the hopeful look Rachel is giving her.

"Yeah, that sounds fun," she answers them.

All three smile triumphantly and Quinn rolls her eyes. They're such children.

"All right. Well you guys have fun. Me and Judy are gonna turn in early tonight," Russell announces.

They all say goodnight to the couple before leaving the Fabray house excitedly. Well, all of them are excited except for Quinn.

* * *

Quinn comes out of Rachel's guest room after changing into her swimming trunks and bikini top. She normally passes on swimming at social gatherings to avoid..specific questions about the trunks. But everyone that's here knows about her anatomy, so she was comfortable. For the most part.

As she leaves the room, she can already hear Santana yelling at Puck in Spanish. She smirks and chuckles lightly, but immediately stops she hears Rachel's bedroom door open. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees the older woman walking out in a dark blue bikini. Quinn keeps her head straight and walks faster to the back door, worried that all of the blood in her body will rush down to the lower region.

"Quinn."

Of course she wouldn't get away that easy. She turns around. "Yeah?"

"Can I ask you something?" Rachel looks so timid and Quinn finds it adorable.

"What's up?" she asks, doing her best to keeps her eyes focused above the neck.

Rachel looks down and frowns, trying to form words. She nervously shifts from one foot to another.

"Rachel?"

"Did I do something to upset you?" she asks finally.

Quinn sighs. "No, why would you think that?" Rachel doesn't need to answer. She knows exactly why. And she feels like the biggest jerk right now for playing stupid.

"I don't know. I just feel like you've been avoiding me since the other night. Are you really that embarrassed for being drunk? Because it's fine, Quinn. I told you I'm not mad or anything."

Quinn looks away in shame. "No, that's not it."

"Then what's going on? It's like you can't even look at me anymore. I just want to know what I did wrong." Quinn's heart breaks at the hurt evident on Rachel's face, knowing that she was the one to cause that hurt.

She stares at the other woman, trying to convey how bad she feels right now. "You didn't do anything wrong, Rachel. I'm just going through a hard time and I can't talk about it. At least not right now." And it wasn't a lie. Quinn knows that she'll hate herself even more if she lies again.

Rachel nods in understanding. "Okay. But just so you know, I meant it when I said you can talk to me about anything. All right? I'll never judge you. So please don't ever shut me out."

Quinn smiles. "I won't ever shut you out."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

And she means it. She can't avoid her anymore. She can't live with herself knowing that Rachel is upset because of her. Quinn knows she's going to have to make an effort and push whatever she's feeling aside.

And the way Rachel is hugging her right now reminds her that it's easier said than done.

* * *

It's not too long later when it's already completely dark outside. Quinn hasn't gone swimming in a while, so she's actually enjoying herself for once. And being around the people she cares most about makes it all the better.

She climbs out of the pool and grabs a towel, then heads back into the house.

"I'm going to get some water," she calls out to the others.

"Hurry your ass up!" Santana yells.

Quinn ignores her and goes inside. She walks to the kitchen and grabs a water bottle out of the fridge.

As she makes her way back outside, she sees Santana getting out of the pool and heading towards her. The other girl takes the water bottle out of her grasp and starts chugging it.

"You're welcome," Quinn says dryly.

Santana dismisses with a wave of her hand before bringing the bottle down. "Come sit with me," she says, gesturing to the pool chairs off to the side.

Quinn doesn't question it and follows her friend to sit down. They hear a loud splash and look up to see Puck attempting to do a perfect swan dive. The only thing he seems to be achieving is looking completely ridiculous.

Rachel howls in laughter and Quinn smiles. She loves seeing that expression on Rachel's face.

Puck laughs too and climbs out of the pool to try again.

"You know Puck's right for once. Rachel is pretty awesome," Santana says quietly by her side.

"I know," Quinn hums her agreement without really paying attention.

"And she seems like a decent person, for the most part."

"Mhmm."

"She might even be good enough for you."

"Yeah."

Santana smirks at her oblivious friend. She waits for a moment. Any second now...

Quinn whips her head around with wide eyes. "What did you just say?" There it is.

"I think you heard me," Santana says calmly.

"I know but why would you say that?" the blonde panicks, her voice shaking.

"Q, you're feaking out."

"No, I'm not," she squeaks.

"Yes, you are."

"Why would you say that?" Quinn repeats in a harsh whisper, looking over her shoulder to make sure the others can't hear them.

"Really, Quinn?" Santana scoffs. "Fine. Let's do this the hard way. If the fact that you're always staring at her longingly doesn't give it away, the way you perk up like a kid at the zoo whenever she talks probably does. Or maybe when you flip your shit whenever Puck so much as looks at her. And let's face it, I really doubt it's because you have a thing for Puck."

"Okay! I get it! Please stop now," Quinn sighs and leans her forehead in her palm.

"Look, I'm not judging you or anything. I really do like her. And she is pretty hot."

"Shut up! This whole thing is wrong and I'm not supposed to feel this way."

Santana grins, "So, you admit it? You like her in that way?"

"Yes, alright? How could I not? And I fucking hate myself for it." Quinn looks on the verge of tears, but trying so hard to hold it back.

"Stop beating yourself up, Quinn. It's not wrong," Santana says softly.

"Really? How? Because Rachel is my aunt, and last time I checked, that's incest," Quinn whispers.

"Oh please. You're not even actually related and she's hardly your aunt. And you're both adults. On paper, there's technically nothing wrong with it and you know it."

Quinn doesn't say anything, because she knows her friend is actually right. But the situation still seems wrong to her.

"I'm actually a little hurt that you weren't gonna tell me," Santana jokes.

"I thought you would judge me and think that I was a pervert or something," Quinn tells her.

"I wouldn't judge you. I, of all people, have no right to judge anyone," she laughs.

Quinn smiles and shakes her head.

"And who knows, maybe you actually have a shot with her."

"Yeah, I doubt that. At least not in this lifetime."

"I'm not so sure," Santana says. "Because I'm pretty sure that she's been watching us ever since we sat down."

Quinn stares at her friend, trying to catch her bluff. But the girl just lifts an eyebrow in challenge.

She turns around and quickly looks towards the pool. And sure enough, Rachel is looking right at her, only to turn her gaze to Puck when she realizes she's been caught.

Quinn furrows her brow. There's no way Santana can be right, can she?

Her friend stands and puts a hand on her shoulder. "Try not to think about it too hard. I'm not saying I know for sure. I just think that you maybe have a shot."

She then leaves Quinn to her thoughts and goes back to the pool.

* * *

Quinn stares at her ceiling fan in boredom before checking her phone for the millionth time. Still no messages. She had text Rachel hours ago and still hasn't gotten a reply.

She stand up and starts pacing. She's become incredibly anxious. She hasn't heard from the woman since that night at the pool, and it's been a couple days now.

If she's being honest, she's completely paranoid that Rachel might somehow know about her feelings for her and wants nothing to do with her now. Maybe she heard her and Santana talking? No, that would literally be impossible. Not with how far and how quiet they were.

It's also crossed her mind that Rachel is completely tired of her by now. That doesn't seem too far-fetched. Definitely plausible. But she still can't stop thinking about what Santana said.

She hears her phone go off and leaps onto the bed for it.

Quinn beams. Rachel finally replied!

**Rachel: Can you pick me up at Breadstix?**

She frowns. That's an odd request. Why would Rachel be there so late? It's already past ten o'clock. Maybe she had a late dinner with someone? But Quinn can't think if who. Maybe she had dinner by herself? No, that sounds even more odd.

**Rachel: ?**

Quinn ignores her thoughts and types out a reply.

**Quinn: On my way.**

* * *

She pulls into the restaurant parking lot and kills the engine. The place is already closed and there's only a couple other cars there.

Quinn sends a quick text saying that she was there.

She only waits a couple more minutes until she sees the woman's small figure coming out of the building. As she gets closer, Quinn is able to get a better look at her.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," she laughs.

Wearing a white button down shirt and red tie, it would seem that her aunt just got off a waitressing shift.

The woman opens the passenger door and climbs in without a word, looking at her niece expectantly.

"So..." Quinn starts.

"Surprise?" Rachel shrugs.

Quinn laughs again. "I'll say." She starts the car and begins the drive to Rachel's house.

"If you haven't guessed by now, this is why I've been off the grid for a couple days. So, sorry about that."

Quinn nods, figuring as much and actually feeling pretty relieved. "When did you start?"

"Today was actually my first real day. It wasn't bad. Everyone was so nice to me," she smiles.

Of course they were, Quinn thinks. She's probably the prettiest waitress working there now. The only other ones that she knows of are old women and college guys.

"That's cool. And no offense, but do you really need a job?" Quinn asks, knowing that she's probably loaded money wise from the divorce.

Rachel shakes her head, "No, I don't _need_ one per say. But I figured I might as well keep busy and try different things while I get my shit together."

Quinn wants to argue but decides that it's probably best not to.

They pull into Rachel's driveway and Quinn puts the car in park.

"Do you want to hang out for a while?" Rachel asks. "I just figured why not since it's been a few days."

"You just got off work. Aren't you tired?" Quinn asks.

"A little. But I don't mind the company."

"Are you sure?"

Rachel smiles and reaches over to turn the car off. "I'm sure. Come on."

She doesn't give Quinn another chance to argue as she takes the keys and quickly gets out of the car. Quinn takes a deep breath before getting out of the car and following her inside.

This woman will be the death of her.


	5. Chapter 5

_Rachel smiles and reaches over to turn the car off. "I'm sure. Come on."_

_She doesn't give Quinn another chance to argue as she takes the keys and quickly gets out of the car. Quinn takes a deep breath before getting out of the car and following her inside._

_This woman will be the death of her._

She follows Rachel into the house and closes the door behind her.

"I'm just gonna go change really quick," Rachel calls out and goes to her bedroom.

Quinn goes to the living room and sits at her usual spot on the couch. It's not long before Rachel emerges wearing a tank top and a pair of really short shorts. Quinn swallows at the sight.

"It's been a long day and I could use some wine. Want some?" Rachel asks as she walks by towards the kitchen.

"Um, sure?" Quinn says.

Rachel quickly returns holding two glasses of red wine. She hands one to Quinn.

"I could be arrested for giving alcohol to a minor, so you're not allowed to leave tonight," she jokes.

Quinn rolls her eyes with a smile. "Whatever you say."

They both sit there in silence, sipping at their wine. Quinn is already done with her glass and sets it down on the floor when Rachel speaks.

"So, what have you been up to lately?" she asks, also setting her glass down.

Quinn shrugs. "Not much. Life hasn't been all that interesting." Outside of you, she thinks.

Rachel turns to her side and relaxes against the back of the couch. "Do you miss high school yet?"

"It hasn't really hit me. I don't think it ever will. And plus, I've got at least four more years of school to go. I'll probably forget all about McKinley."

Rachel shakes her head. "Sometimes I miss it. I actually enjoyed going there for the most part."

"I wonder what you were like in high school," Quinn smirks.

"Oh! I'll show you." The older woman jumps up from the couch and runs to her room.

Before Quinn can ask what's going on, Rachel returns holding a few McKinley yearbooks. The blonde smiles. This should be good.

Rachel plops down directly next to her on the couch and hands Quinn one of the red books.

"This is from my sophomore year," she says.

Quinn immediately flips to the sophomore section and starts looking for Rachel. She recalls Rachel and Judy's maiden name, and looks for Rachel Berry.

She finds the picture of her young aunt and can't stop herself from snorting. "That's a cute reindeer sweater."

Rachel pouts. "Shut up. I wasn't all that fashionally inclined at the time."

"Hey, you look cute. Are there any other pictures of you?"

"Yeah," Rachel reaches over and starts flipping through the pages. "That's me in the chess club. And that's the math club. That's the AV club. Oh and that creepy kid behind me me was Jacob Ben Israel, he had the biggest crush on me. That's the fencing club. That's the world religions club. That's the -"

"Jesus, Rachel. How many freaking clubs were you in?" Quinn interrupts.

"For this year, I'd say almost all of them."

Quinn shakes her head and laughs.

Rachel ignores her and turns to another page.

"The was glee, my favorite club out of all of them."

"I didn't even know we had a glee club," Quinn remarks.

"Last I heard, your coach Sylvester had it shut down sometime after I graduated."

"Sounds like her." Quinn examines the picture. It's a group of kids with Rachel front and center holding a trophy. She notices her aunt looks really happy in this picture. Happier than in the other pictures at least.

"We did some competitions throughout the year. For this year, we won Sectionals."

Quinn smiles.

Rachel points to a boy in the photo wearing a green scarf. "That's Kurt. He was my best friend back then." She then points to another boy that was more masculine looking than Kurt, but still had perfectly coiffed hair. "And that's Jesse. He was my high school sweetheart. But we didn't get together until junior year. Speaking of which..."

Rachel pulls out the next yearbook, which Quinn assumes is from her junior year. She takes it and does the same thing as the last one and seeks out Rachel's picture first.

She laughs even louder this time. This is definitely getting better. "What's with the pigtails and school girl outfit?"

Rachel smacks her arm. "I'll have you know that Britney's Baby One More Time was huge back then," she says, embarrassed. "And I was trying to impress Jesse, but it didn't really work," she mumbles.

"Sorry," Quinn giggles. "It's no reindeer sweater, but it's still adorable."

"Oh god, just turn the fucking page! I can't even look at it." Rachel leans her forehead against her palm.

Quinn quickly does as she's told and flips to the glee club photo again.

It's exactly the same as the last one, with Rachel holding a trophy in the middle. Except everyone looks slightly older.

"We actually won Regionals this year," Rachel says.

Quinn nods and notices that the Jesse kid has his arm around her in the picture, so she assumes they were a couple at this time. She feels a bit of jealousy knowing that he was able to hold her like that.

Rachel hands over the last yearbook. "And now, senior year."

Quinn smiles and takes the book. When she finds Rachel's senior portrait, she raises her eyebrows. Rachel is wearing a simple black top with her hair perfectly curled. "Wow, you actually look normal in this one," she comments.

Rachel laughs. "Well it was my last chance so I couldn't screw it up."

Quinn once again goes to the glee club page. But this picture was different from the other two. It was all the same kids. Only this time, they're all on a stage wearing matching outfits with confetti falling all around them. None of them are looking at the camera, but they're all smiling and cheering. Quinn figures it was probably taken while they were in the midst of celebrating.

"That's when we finally won Nationals."

That makes sense, Quinn thinks.

"You look so happy here."

Rachel nods. "That was one of the happiest moments of my life."

She takes the book and turns to another page. "This is me and Jesse at prom."

Quinn feels her breath taken away at the photo before her. Jesse was clad in a tuxedo. And on his arm was Rachel, who was wearing a strapless, champagne colored gown with her hair perfectly done over one shoulder.

That guy was a lucky bastard, Quinn thinks bitterly to herself.

"You look beautiful."

Rachel blushes. "Thank you."

"What happened to Jesse?" Quinn can't help but ask.

She sighs. "He was offered a full ride to UCLA. So, inevitably, we broke up after graduation. We haven't spoken since then. And last I heard, he's producing for this new record label in Los Angeles and he's also married with kids."

Quinn smiles, feeling slightly relieved.

"Anyway, that was high school for me," Rachel says as she closes the book.

Quinn turns to look at her and grins. "I bet we would have been friends if we went to high school together."

Rachel frowns. "Hmm, I'm not sure about that. You were a cheerleader, and all the popular kids never really gave me the time of day."

"Well, it's different nowadays. I was friends with some pretty dorky people."

"Yeah, but still. You're gorgeous and that alone would be enough to intimidate anyone. Same with Santana."

Quinn internally high fives herself when Rachel says that she's gorgeous. And she tries to control her reaction by not grinning like an idiot.

"I'm just saying."

"People are intimidated by Santana, but not for that reason," she laughs.

"That doesn't surprise me at all," Rachel smiles.

The older woman yawns and leans into Quinn's side, resting her head on her shoulder. Quinn stops breathing and remains stiff for a moment, feeling her entire body heat up. When she remembers how to move, she slowly wraps her arm around Rachel's back. They stay like that in silence for a few minutes.

"I should probably go to bed," Rachel mumbles.

"Mhmm," Quinn says.

But neither of them move.

"Rach?" Quinn carefully cranes her head and looks down to see that Rachel's eyes are closed and she's already passed out.

She smiles and places a gentle kiss at the top of the woman's head, careful not to disturb her. She then leans her head on top of hers and closes her own eyes.

* * *

Quinn hears the sound of birds chirping and carefully opens her eyes. All she sees is a head of brown hair. She notices that they're still in the exact same position as they were when they fell asleep and smiles.

However, the smile is short lived after she shifts slightly and a massive horror comes to her attention. She looks down and sure enough, an enormous bulge is straining against her shorts.

Shit! If Rachel wakes up, that'll be the first thing she sees!

Quinn closes her eyes and takes deep breaths, willing for it to go down. But it's not working. And Rachel's hand being directly next to it on her lap doesn't help at all. She feels the woman begin to stir.

Fuck! Think of something! Anything! Sue Sylvester! Santana's grandma! Principal Figgins! All three of them fucking! Oh god, gross!

She finally feels it going down in record time and sighs in relief. That would have been a terrible situation.

She feels Rachel move again watches silently as she slowly sits up. The older woman blinks a few times and stares down blearily at Quinn, who thinks it's pretty damn cute.

When she finally takes in her surroundings, Rachel's eyes widen.

"Oh shit! I'm sorry, Quinn! I didn't mean to fall asleep on you."

Quinn shrugs. "It's all right. You were pretty tired."

"That's still no excuse."

Quinn's not complaining. It was the perfect way to wake up. Well, minus the morning wood...

"Don't worry about it," she smiles.

Rachel looks like she wants to argue more, but doesn't. She quickly stands and stretches out her arms with a yawn.

"I'm gonna go make some coffee," she says before disappearing into the kitchen.

Quinn watches her go. She can still smell the faint scent of Rachel lingering around her and it makes her smile. So fucking perfect.

She goes into the kitchen and sees Rachel rummaging through the cupboards for a coffee mug.

"So, what are you up to today?" she asks her niece.

"Nothing really. Everyone's busy."

"Well, I'm not doing anything until later when I have to go back to work," Rachel says. "Do you want to maybe hang out?"

"Of course. Did you have anything in mind?"

"Hmm, I've been wanting to see that new Woody Allen movie. Would that be alright with you?" she asks.

"That sounds nice," Quinn smiles. They could watch a five hour documentary and Quinn would still like it because it's with Rachel.

"Great! It's a date!" She takes a traveling mug and fills it with fresh coffee then promptly hands it to Quinn. "Here you go. Now go home and get ready!"

* * *

That's the way it is over the next week for the two girls. Quinn will stay the night at Rachel's house, whether her aunt is off or working late. And they spend their mornings and afternoons together. Of course, Quinn is enjoying every minute of it.

Tonight is a night that Rachel works, so the blonde finds herself hanging out in her room with Santana. The two have been sitting on the floor watching True Blood for a few hours, much to Quinn's annoyance, and talking about life. Quinn has been filling her in on what's going on with Rachel.

"Do you think she can get me the hookup with free shit at Breadstix?"

Quinn rolls her eyes. "I doubt it, but I'll ask just for you."

"So, how's it going with her anyway?" Santana asks pointedly. Quinn knows what she's referring to.

She shrugs, "Everything is still the same, so I really don't know."

Santana nods and leaves it at that, returning her focus to the tv.

After a beat, Quinn keeps talking, "Did you know that she's allergic to peanuts and shellfish? And kiwi too, I think."

"That sucks," her friend mumbles, still distracted by the tv.

"And I found out that her favorite movie is Funny Girl. It's a musical from a while back. I haven't seen it, but now I want to. So you and me should check it out sometime. I'm sure she'll let me borrow it."

"How about no."

Quinn ignores her. "It looks interesting. And Barbra Streisand won an Oscar for it."

"Cool."

"I also saw that she has every single one of Jane Austen's books. I haven't read any of them, just seen the movies. She keeps saying that Sense and Sensibility is the best book. But I'm not sure since the movie was pretty boring. Maybe it's not that bad since Rachel -"

"Oh my god. Stop talking already," Santana groans and turns to her. "Q, you've got it so bad for Rachel right now."

Quinn blinks. "What do you mean?"

"Let me put it this way. The way you talk about her is the way I feel about Brittany."

"What's wrong with that?"

Santana rubs her eyes and sighs. Of course she's going to have to spell it out. She speaks loud and clear directly into Quinn's face, "You're falling for her. As in falling in love. As in you're falling in love with Rachel."

Quinn frowns and shakes her head in denial. "No, that's ridiculous. We never have and probably will never be together like that. So it'd be impossible for me to love with someone I've never been with."

"I'm not saying that I know you better than yourself or anything. I'm just saying that's what I think. And you being all love sick makes me want to throw up again," she smirks.

Quinn smiles, "Whatever."

"It's cute at first. But now I just wanna punch you."

Quinn playfully pushes her friend over onto the floor. Santana sits back up and laughs and decides to change the subject.

"Have your parents said anything about you hanging around Rachel all the time? It might look weird to them, so you should probably, you know, be careful. I mean, they're cool as shit, but I don't think they'll be happy if they knew about your thing for Rachel."

Quinn thinks about it. Santana does have a point. But her parents have been so busy with work lately that they haven't said anything. "I don't think they've even noticed that I'm gone every night since they're at the hospital so much. And besides, I think my mom would just be happy that me and Rachel get along at all. And she'd probably be glad that at least Rachel has someone to keep her company."

"Yeah, true. Is that why they're not here tonight?"

Quinn nods. She does miss them. But in the end, she loves all of her time with Rachel.

"Well hey, if Rachel doesn't think hanging out with you all the time is weird, then she probably sees you more as her friend than her niece," Santana says. "Which will definitely help your chances," she wiggles her eyebrows.

Quinn chuckles and shakes her head. "We've been over this. There is no chance, because I'm not going to pursue her like that."

"Whatever. I still say you have a chance."

Quinn wants to argue, but feels her phone chirp next to her on the floor. She picks it up to see a text.

**Rachel: Hey I'm off already**

"I gotta go. Rachel's off work," Quinn says as she stands and grabs her overnight bag from the bed.

Santana gets up and follows her down the stairs and to the front door.

"Not even together yet and you're already whipped," she smirks.

"Shut up," Quinn says as she locks the door.

They both walk to their cars.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" Quinn asks her best friend.

"Sure, if you're done with being balls deep inside Rachel's mouth by then," she calls back.

"Santana!" Quinn shrieks, horrified at the girl's words.

The other girl flashes her devious grin before jumping in her car and driving away.

Quinn gets in the car and takes off as well. She knows that her face is probably as red as a tomato the entire ride.

* * *

As soon as they walk into the door, Rachel heads straight to the kitchen.

"I'm starving," she says. "I didn't get a chance to go on break."

As if on cue, Quinn feels her own stomach rumble. "I haven't eaten either."

Rachel stops and turns around. "Let's make something?"

Quinn smiles and nods. The older woman grabs her wrist and pulls her to the kitchen.

Rachel opens the fridge and stares, wondering what she could make. Quinn takes one look and immediately grabs the sealed package of bacon.

Her aunt rolls her eyes and gets the milk and eggs. She then opens one of the cupboards to grab some flour.

"Might as well make breakfast," she says.

Rachel starts mixing ingredients in a bowl to make pancakes. Meanwhile, Quinn is frying up nearly the entire package of bacon on the stove.

The brunette looks at her and grimaces, "That's so bad for you. It's all fat."

Quinn shrugs, "Oh well." She carefully uses the tongs to place all of the pieces of meat on a plate before setting it aside.

She turns to her Rachel, who looks incredibly focused with her mixing. Quinn holds in a laugh when she sees quite a bit of flour on the older woman's jawline.

"You're such a kid sometimes."

Rachel stops what she's doing and looks at her, confused. "Why?"

Instead of answering, Quinn reaches up and gently wipes the flour away with the pad of her thumb.

She watches as Rachel's eyes flutter at the gesture as she stares back at her. Quinn has the strong urge to lean in and kiss her, and fights it with every ounce of her being. But it would be so easy. All she has to do is bring her head forward just a few inches...

She hastily brings her hand down and clears her throat, looking anywhere but at Rachel right now.

She then promptly takes the mixing bowl from the older woman. "I'll do this for you since you're making a mess," she jokes.

Rachel rolls her eyes. "Fine. I'm gonna eat some of this fat. I mean, bacon," she smirks.

Quinn playfully glares at her and gets to mixing.

* * *

She turns off the water after a long shower in the guest bathroom, feeling much more relaxed now.

Quinn grabs a towel and uses it to dry herself before wrapping it around her body. She goes into the guest room, sitting down on the bed as she sighs, staring ahead at nothing. Her mind feels like it's racing a mile a minute.

She thinks about what Santana said earlier. About her falling for Rachel. And of course, she's realizing that her friend is right.

So much for getting over a little crush. These stupid feelings have gone further than Quinn ever thought they would.

She lays down on the bed and stares at the ceiling.

She recalls their moment in the kitchen, when she nearly kissed Rachel. If not for the circumstances, it would have been a perfect moment.

A perfect moment for the perfect girl, Quinn thinks. Honestly, is there anything wrong with her? Of course she's flawed, but there's so much good in her.

Rachel can be hilarious at times, and has a great sense of humor. She genuinely laughs at all of Quinn's stupid, inappropriate jokes. And she's so intelligent and open minded. More than anyone else Quinn has ever met.

And of course, she's beautiful. In her own distinctive way. Quinn could stare at her all day.

Not to mention the amazing body the older woman has. So many girls would kill for that body. With her perfectly smooth, tanned skin. Especially those long legs. And that wonderful ass that Quinn has found herself staring at on multiple occasions.

And seeing her in a bikini leaves little to the imagination. She would give anything to rip off that bikini top and have her way with those perfect breasts. She'd worship them.

Quinn feels a stirring down below. She pulls the towel off her body and sure enough, her member is fully erect, laying down against her stomach.

Well that didn't take long, she thinks.

Quinn reaches down and closes a fist around the shaft and slowly starts stroking all eight inches. She groans, remembering something else that Santana said earlier that night which has also been on her mind.

She closes her eyes and pictures a certain brunette wrapping her plump lips around the head of her cock. Quinn gasps and teases the tip with her thumb, imagining that it's Rachel's tongue, and begins to pump faster.

* * *

Rachel quietly closes the door to her bedroom and turns to head to the kitchen, having decided that she needs a glass of water to go to sleep.

As she passes by the guest room, she hears a whispered "fuck".

She stops and frowns as it almost sounds like Quinn is in pain.

"Quinn?" she whispers, but there's no answer.

The door is cracked open and she can see a faint light inside from the en suite bathroom. She carefully pushes the door open a little more to peer inside.

She's met with the site of her niece, laying completely naked on the bed. One arm is tucked behind her head while her free hand rapidly jerks her member of impressive size. The girl's eyes are closed as she bites her lip. She has no idea that her aunt is at the doorway.

Rachel's eyes widen and she averts her gaze, quickly turning on her heel to retreat back to her room. If Quinn knew she saw, they would both die of embarrassment.

"Fuck, Rach!"

She stops walking midway down the hallway and freezes on the spot. Her brain is trying to decide if she actually just heard what she thinks she heard. Did Quinn really just say her name? Is she really thinking about her while doing...that? There's no way, right?

Curiosity getting the best of her, Rachel can't help herself when her feet take her to where she was standing before in the doorway. And she definitely has no control of herself when she continues to stare at the younger girl in such a private moment.

"Oh fuck," Quinn moans, her hand moving impossibly faster. "Oh god, Rachel!"

At that moment, ropes of the blonde's essence shoot out of the tip and land on her torso. Copious amounts of it cover the girl's breasts and stomach and slowly drips down. The white liquid continues to spurt out for several more seconds and Rachel doesn't think she's ever seen anyone cum so much at once.

When it finally stops, Quinn sighs and relaxes in the bed, still slowly stroking herself to no doubt ride out her orgasm.

If there was any doubt before, Rachel is now completely sure that it was her name being said.

Wait, why the hell are you still watching? Rachel chastisises herself and blushes before finally turning away and silently tiptoeing to her own room.

* * *

Rachel wakes up the next morning completely exhausted. She wasn't able to get much sleep the night before since her mind was in overdrive, understandably.

And it looks like today would be no different as she sighs anxiously.

She sits up and climbs out of bed, stretching before she goes to her door. She takes a deep breath and opens it.

The house is quiet as usual. Rachel looks around and walks towards the kitchen and sees Quinn sitting at the dining room table. The girl is already dressed and eating cereal. She hears Rachel coming and looks up at her and smiles like everything is great in the world.

That smile is so infectious that Rachel can't help but smile back as she sits down next to her.

"Why are you always up so early?" she asks.

Quinn frowns. "I guess I'm just used to my cheer practice schedule."

Rachel nods and silently watches her as she continues to eat her cereal.

"Did you want to do anything today?"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you I already made plans with Santana today. I'm really sorry," Quinn apologizes.

Rachel waves her off. "Don't worry about it."

Quinn looks like she wants to protest, but Rachel gives her a stern look, so she doesn't.

The younger girl finishes her cereal and is quiet for a few moments. She looks deep in thought and starts biting her lip. Rachel's mind quickly wanders to images of the night before.

She feels her face heat up and looks down at the table.

"You okay?"

Rachel picks her head back up to look at Quinn. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know. You're never this quiet, even in the morning," she explains.

"I'm fine. I'm just tired," she smiles.

Quinn nods and stands to take her empty bowl to the kitchen to put in the dishwasher. When she comes back out, she says, "Well, I have to take off now."

Rachel gets up from her chair and follows her niece to the front door. She steps outside with her and says, "Have fun with Santana."

Quinn laughs, "Yeah, we'll see."

Rachel steps forward and wraps her arms around the other girl, who instantly reciprocates. It's just like every hug they've had before, but this one feels different to Rachel. She rests her head in the crook of the taller's girls neck and inhales.

It's over before she knows it and Quinn steps out of the embrace. She smiles and says, "Bye Rachel. I'll text you later."

She nods and watches as Quinn gets into her car and drives off. It's only when the car is completely out of sight that Rachel goes back inside.

She goes to her bedroom, closes the door, and leans her back against it. She then closes her eyes and lets out a breath of air.

What's going on with her life?


	6. Chapter 6

Another week goes by. A whole week since that night. A whole week of Rachel constantly wondering about what she saw. A whole fucking week.

She's kept it to herself, afraid of ruining what she has with Quinn by upsetting her. She doesn't even know how to begin a conversation like that.

But the girl's mere presence is enough to make her anxiety go away for the time being. Rachel always feels so at ease around her. But still, that doesn't mean she's going to easily forget about it.

The air is definitely different between them now. Or at least it is from Rachel's perspective. Her niece still acts the same, completely oblivious to Rachel's newfound knowledge. But everything is still different to Rachel. She's not sure how. But it is. She's seeing Quinn from a different angle now.

She may be afraid of upsetting Quinn, but she still wants so badly to ask her certain questions. Obviously, the girl finds her attractive enough to fantasize about her. But is there more to it than that? Is that why she was avoiding Rachel after that night of her graduation? And even if there something more, why does Rachel want to know so much?

What could she possibly gain from knowing?

"Is it okay if we stop by this jewelry store to get my wedding ring polished?" Judy asks, interrupting Rachel from her thoughts.

"Of course," she smiles.

The two have been walking around the mall all afternoon. Judy insisted that they have some "sister" time together with just the two of them. And while Rachel has had a lot on her mind, she didn't want to disappoint her.

They walk into the store and Judy heads straight to the counter to talk to an employee. Rachel takes the time to look around at all of the jewelry on display. It wasn't like the jewelry stores in New York, but everything still looked simple and elegant to her.

But apparently she isn't too well versed when it comes to jewelry. After she left Finn, she had tried to sell her wedding ring and came to find out that it was only worth $200. She went ahead and sold it anyway, not because she needed the money obviously, but because she couldn't even look at it anymore.

Rachel didn't understand how a man that made so much money could be so cheap when it came to his wife. But he seems to have no problem spending thousands of dollars on other women after looking at hotel charges on his credit card statements.

She sighs at the memory and moves in from looking at rings to the necklaces. After a few minutes, Judy is by her side again. She points to something and says, "Quinn is always looking at that every time she comes in here. Maybe I can get it for her for Christmas or something."

Rachel gazes at what her sister is pointing at. It's a simple silver necklace with a pendant in the shape of an infinity symbol. She smiles. It's so Quinn. And she can see why the girl still hasn't gotten it. The price tag reads $350.

"Do you want to go next door and help me find some new work shoes for Russell?" Judy asks.

"Sure. I'll be there in a minute. I'm just gonna look around here some more," Rachel tells her.

The older woman smiles and says okay before leaving the jewelry store.

When her sister is completely out of sight, Rachel approaches the counter. She's not sure what's possessing her to do so. She just knows that she wants to do something for Quinn.

"Excuse me, I'd like to make a purchase."

* * *

She walks into the shoe store next door to see Judy already checking out.

The woman turns to her. "Sorry, I have to go home and get ready for work."

"It's no worries," Rachel reassures her. She has the night off so at least she doesn't have to worry about work herself.

She takes her phone out of her purse and sends a text.

**Rachel: Come over after your mom leaves if you're not busy. I have something for you :)**

"Okay, let's go." Judy gets her bag and the two head out of the store and back to the car.

When they get in, Rachel receives a reply.

**Quinn: Okay. But I can't stay the night. I'm leaving early to go with Puck and Santana and her parents to their lake house.**

Rachel frowns.

**Rachel: How long will you be gone for?**

**Quinn: The whole weekend.**

She sighs. Guess it'll be just her for a few days.

* * *

A few hours later, Rachel is sitting in her living room absently browsing through tv channels when there's a knock at her door. She puts down the remote and runs to the front of the house. When she opens the door, she smiles.

"Hey!" she beams.

"Hi Rach."

Quinn smiles and leans in for a quick hug before walking inside.

Rachel, feeling giddy, bounces with every step behind Quinn. The two girls settle on the couch.

"What time are you leaving tomorrow?" Rachel asks.

"I think they said around six in the morning. It's a pretty long drive." Quinn wasn't really looking forward to it.

"You never mentioned going on this trip," Rachel says as casually as she can, not wanting to sound accusatory.

Quinn shrugs. "I've just had a lot on my mind lately."

"Oh? Like what?" Rachel gives the girl an opening even though she's sure Quinn won't take it. At least it's worth a shot.

And of course, she's right. Her niece just gives her a sad smile and changes the subject. "You said you had something to give me?"

"Yes!" Rachel snatches her purse off the floor and starts rummaging through it.

When she finally finds it, she hands the rectangular shaped box over to the girl next to her.

Quinn looks confused but still smiles nonetheless as she takes the box. She opens it and Rachel watches as her face lights up in a way that she's never seen before.

The younger girl gasps and carefully touches the pendant attached to the necklace.

"I...how did...what?" she stutters. Rachel presses her lips together to suppress a laugh. She's so adorable. "How did you know?" Quinn finally looks at her.

"Judy said that you've had your eye on it for a while. And I wanted to get it for you," she explains.

"But why?"

Rachel shrugs. "Why not? Think of it as a late graduation gift. Do you like it?"

Quinn nods and continues to stare at it. "It's amazing. You know you didn't have to do this."

"But I wanted to."

The younger girl turns to her and looks deeply into Rachel's eyes, causing her to shudder.

Rachel is caught off guard when Quinn suddenly leans over and presses her lips against the corner of her mouth. She has no time to react as it's just a quick peck. It was innocent, yet somehow still enough to set her entire body on fire.

When Quinn pulls back, Rachel knows that her face is rapidly heating up. And so is Quinn's, who looks just as shocked as she is.

Quinn wants to slap herself for doing that. But she couldn't help it. She also wants to apologize, but that'll make it more awkward. For now, all she can do is wait until someone breaks the silence. And it probably won't be her because she knows she'll say something stupid.

Rachel's instincts kick in from acting classes several years ago, and she puts on the best smile that she can. "I'm glad you like it," she says.

She turns to put her purse back down on the floor. When she looks back at Quinn, the blonde still looks shell shocked.

"I um," Quinn clears her throat and stands. She points to the box in her hand, "This is the greatest gift I've ever gotten. It really is. But I have to go now. I still haven't packed for this weekend."

"Oh, okay." Rachel says sadly. She wants to ask her to stay a little longer. But she doesn't. Instead, she stands to say bye.

Feeling daring enough to do something bold, Rachel leans up and presses a soft, lingering kiss on the younger girl's cheek.

"Be careful while you're gone," she says as she pulls back.

Quinn has a dazed look on her face and just nods her head. "I will."

"Hopefully you'll have enough fun for the both of us since I'll be here all alone," she jokes.

"Yeah," Quinn laughs nervously. "Um, I'll call you," she says before hastily turning around and all but runs out of the house.

Rachel watches as the front door slams closed and sighs. She sits back down on the couch and thinks about what just happened, whatever it was.

Well, fuck.

* * *

Quinn plops down at the picnic table outside of the Lopez lake house, completely exhausted after a long day of swimming and jet skiing. She had a nap earlier in the day, but she's worn out all over again.

Santana approaches and sits down next to her. They sit in silence for a few minutes, enjoying the view of the lake. It's just the two of them since Puck went with Mr. Lopez to a store that was twenty minutes away. And Santana's mother was currently inside napping.

The sun is starting to go down and Quinn lets out a yawn.

"You've been kind of off all day. Everything okay?" Santana asks.

Quinn has been off today, and she's not surprised that her best friend of all people would notice. Thoughts of Rachel plague her mind and they don't seem to be giving her a break anytime soon.

She turns to her friend and sighs, "Not really."

"Is it about Rachel?"

Right to the point as usual. Quinn nods, but doesn't say anything else.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Santana asks.

She thinks about it for a moment. She's going to have to talk about it sooner or later.

"You were right," Quinn says while looking off into the distance.

"About?"

"I'm falling for her."

"Yeah, no shit," her friend laughs, earning a glare from the blonde. "Sorry."

Quinn continues, "There's no use in trying to fight it anymore. I think I might love her. It's just all happening so fast that it scares me."

"Has anything changed?"

"Well first, she got this for me," she says as she reaches up to the necklace she was now wearing. "She said it was her graduation gift to me."

"I was wondering where you got that. It's nice."

Quinn nods in agreement. "And after she gave it to me, I kind of...kissed her."

"You what?" Santana yells.

She winces, "Can you be quiet? I didn't really actually kiss her. It was just really quick. Like a friendly thank you kiss. You know?"

"No. I really don't," the other girl says dryly.

Quinn rolls her eyes.

"Then what happened? What did she say?"

"I decided to leave, cause you know, I was embarrassed. And she grabbed me and kissed me on the cheek. And then I left."

"Well at least she didn't freak out. And she kind of kissed you back. That's gotta count for something, right?"

Quinn shrugs. "I guess. I don't know what to do." She leans her forehead against the palm of her hand.

Santana reaches over and lightly rubs her shoulder. "Maybe you can talk to her about how you feel when you're ready? She seems understanding. I'm sure she won't be mad at you or anything."

"I don't think I ever will be," Quinn shakes her head.

A truck pulls up and parks close to where they are. Puck and Santana's dad get out and start unloading groceries.

"Let's get these bad boys on the grill!" Puck calls out.

"We'll worry about this later, okay?" Santana whispers while Quinn nods at her friend's suggestion. "Now, let's eat something."

* * *

Rachel finds herself sitting on the couch in the Fabray family living room talking with her sister. She had felt bored and decided to come over and say hello before Judy went to work. The woman seemed surprised to see her, but still happy about the visit nonetheless.

"You don't have to work tonight?"

Rachel shakes her head. "Surprisingly, no."

"Do you like it over there?" Judy asks.

Rachel smiles, "It's wonderful. All of my coworkers are great and so sweet."

"That's good." Judy nods and clears her throat, "Well, I've been meaning to ask you. But how have you been holding up since the divorce?"

She frowns, "Honestly, it hardly ever crosses my mind now. I've been having such a great time here in Lima that I've nearly forgotten all about what happened with Finn."

Having such a great time with Quinn, Rachel thinks and smiles to herself. The girl's been the main culprit responsible for distracting her lately.

"It must be hard, but I know you're strong. And honestly, you were always too good for him anyway. And trust me, you're going to find someone that truly deserves you."

Rachel smiles at the thought. She would like to find that person and move forward with her life.

"Has anyone tried to ask you out or anything?"

She remembers something that happened a few nights ago at work.

"A man gave me his phone number while I was working. He was really sweet and was having dinner with his mom for her birthday and I was their waitress. His name was Brody? I think?" She's pretty sure that was his name. "Anyway, he told me to give him a call because a pretty girl such as myself shouldn't be serving food and deserves to be taken out," she snorts with laughter at the cheesy pick up line.

"He sounds nice. Maybe you can give him a call when you're ready?"

She huffs. She had forgotten all about that guy. He was handsome and a gentleman, but he didn't seem like her type. There's no need to waste her time on it. Besides, if she starts dating that means less time with Quinn...

Right then, Russell comes walking down the stairs wearing his physician lab coat.

"Judy? It's about time to go," he smiles at them.

"Oh!" Judy stands and grabs her purse. "Looks like I lost track of time!" She looks at Rachel apologetically, "You don't have to leave right away. You're more than welcome to hang out here for a bit."

Rachel smiles up at her sister, "Thank you."

Judy joins her husband and waves, "Take care!"

She watches as the couple rushes out the door. "Call us if you need anything," Judy yells out before slamming the door shut.

It's completely silent as she observes the empty living room. After a moment, Rachel stands and blows out a puff of air. What to do now?

She decides to make her way upstairs to Quinn's room. She's never been in there before and she's curious. She's sure Quinn probably won't mind...

Well even if she does, she'll get over it.

Rachel opens the bedroom door and steps inside. She turns on the light and the first thing she notices is that everything is completely tidy, which doesn't surprise her. Everything is organized in a certain way. She slowly walks around the room.

She looks at the shelves and smiles at all of the books she sees. Her niece is no doubt a book worm. It's no wonder she's so intelligent.

Rachel stops when she sees a picture frame on one of the shelves. She picks it up and stares at the photograph. It's of Quinn, Santana, and Puck at what she assumes was their prom. They all look amazing, but Rachel thinks Quinn is the most exceptionally beautiful out of all three. No contest. She just wishes that she could have been there that night.

She puts the frame down and lets out a yawn. She glances at the clock on the night stand and realizes that it's already ten and she still hasn't heard from Quinn.

The woman lays down on the bed, feeling tired. She rolls over and hugs Quinn's pillow close to her body, in hailing her scent. It makes her miss the girl even more. She's felt a void without her and it's been making her uneasy. She wants to talk to her.

She rolls onto her back and pulls her phone out of her pocket. She then scrolls through her contacts to find Quinn. When she does, she presses the call button and brings the phone to her ear.

It rings four times before there's an answer.

"Hello?" Quinn's groggy voice sounds on the other end.

Rachel grins when she hears that voice. "Hey," she says softly. "Were you sleeping?"

"Was just taking a nap. Everyone else is outside by the campfire." Quinn yawns and Rachel hears shuffling for a moment. "So, what's up?"

"You don't want to go out there with them?" Rachel asks.

"Not really. I wanna be alone for a while."

"Oh."

"But Santana is probably gonna come barging in here when she's ready to go to bed. She's so loud," Quinn laughs.

"You're sharing a bed with Santana?"

"Yeah, that's usually how it works."

Rachel feels annoyed at this for some reason. She's never slept in the same bed as Quinn. Well, except for that time they fell asleep on the couch...

And still, she can't help but wonder if Quinn is sleeping around with Santana again. But she knows that it's none of her business.

"What are you up to?" Quinn asks.

She bites her lip, getting ready to confess. "Would you find it weird if I said I was in your room right now?"

"Um, if it were anyone else, then maybe," she hears Quinn chuckle. "But wow, I didn't know you missed me that much."

"Shut up. I came by to see Judy before she went to work. And I still haven't left yet. And I figured I've never seen your room before, so..."

"You know you're welcome to my room whenever you want. I don't mind."

Rachel smiles to herself. "You're coming back tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah, but we won't be back until midnight or so."

"Oh, I'll probably be asleep by then. But I still want you to text me to let me know you got home safely."

"Okay, Rach. Will do."

"Are you having fun at least? It's so boring over here," the older woman jokes.

"Oh yeah. We went swimming all morning and jet skiing for a couple hours. And I went with Puck around the lake to watch him try to fish which was actually pretty funny. He managed to rip his trunks open with a fish hook," Quinn snorts.

Rachel laughs with her. "That's crazy. But I'm glad you're enjoying it."

"It would be better if you were here."

At the girl's words, Rachel feels her heart hammering in her chest.

She clears her throat, "Maybe we can take a trip somewhere one of these days."

"That'd be nice," Quinn says before letting out another long yawn. "I think I'm gonna go to actual sleep now, okay? But I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Okay. Good night, Quinn."

"Bye, Rachel."

She hangs up the phone, feeling a little better now that she's talked to her. But like Quinn had said, it would be better if she were actually there with her.

Feeling tired herself, Rachel turns onto her side and begins to drift off.

* * *

It's been over three hours since she got home from work, and Rachel has become incredibly anxious in that time. She still hasn't heard anything from Quinn, who should have been home by now. She even had sent a text to her, but still hasn't received a response. What's taking her so long? Does Quinn not want to talk to her?

It's already two in the morning and she hasn't been able to sleep. She's had over half a bottle of wine to calm herself down, but it isn't helping much. She's sitting at her kitchen table with her glass in her hand as she drums her nails on the table surface, thinking over everything.

She doesn't know why she's been feeling the way she has lately. It's almost as if something was awoken inside of her that she never knew was there in the first place. It's gnawing at her and driving her crazy, begging to be released.

And it's all because of Quinn.

Rachel is somewhat ashamed with herself. When she realized that Quinn was thinking about her sexually, she was more thrilled than upset. She remembers how transfixed she became in watching the girl get herself off. She probably should have been panicking and freaked out. But she wasn't. Not even in the slightest.

If anything, she was intrigued and excited. She wanted to know more of what Quinn thought about her. And deep down, if she's being honest with herself, she knows that she wants to be the only one Quinn thinks of in that way. Not Santana or any other girl she knows. Just her.

It's completely selfish of Rachel to think that. She knows it. But she can't control how she feels. The idea of being the only person that someone like Quinn would want has her on a high.

Quinn makes her feel validated and wanted. She makes her feel safe when she's around. She makes her feel like she could do anything she dared try.

Quinn makes her feel loved. Loved in a way that she hasn't felt in a long time.

Her phone finally goes off signally a text message. Rachel swipes it from the table and looks at the screen, feeling her heart flutter when she sees who it is.

**Quinn: Hey sorry I forgot to text you when I got back. Puck and Santana stayed for a little while and we had a few drinks. But they left already. I'm guessing you're asleep right now so I'll talk to you tomorrow.**

Rachel hastily types out a reply.

**Rachel: It's about time. I've been worried!**

**Quinn: Great. Now I feel even worse that you stayed up waiting. Go to sleep already.**

She pouts.

**Rachel: But I don't want to.**

She finishes her glass and sets it down.

**Quinn: You're so stubborn sometimes :p**

Rachel smiles down at her phone. She feels warm all over from the wine. Maybe she's not the only one.

**Rachel: Are you drunk? You said you had some drinks.**

**Quinn: Not drunk. Just a little buzzed. I swear.**

**Rachel: Me too.**

**Quinn: Not surprised. You love your wine.**

She laughs because it's true. Quinn knows her so well.

After a moment, she replies.

**Rachel: Do you have any idea how much I missed you?**

The wine seems to be talking for her at this point.

**Quinn: Probably not as much as I missed you...**

Rachel scoffs.

**Rachel: I highly doubt that.**

**Quinn: You have no idea.**

She bites her lip and smirks.

**Rachel: I think I just might...**

**Quinn: Oh?**

Rachel takes a deep breath. She knows that she's putting herself in dangerous territory. But damn it, it feels so right.

There's a big part of her aching and she needs to see Quinn right now. She just has to.

Fuck it.

**Rachel: Can you come over right now?**

**Quinn: Yeah I can. Is everything okay?**

Rachel types out her reply and looks it over for a minute. Feeling an exhilarating rush take over her, she pushes send.

**Rachel: No. But it'll be okay once you're here with me...**


	7. Chapter 7

The message is sent. There's no turning back now for Rachel.

As soon as she sends it, she gets a reply.

**Quinn: I'll be there soon**

Definitely no turning back now.

**Rachel: Hurry!**

Rachel gets up from the chair and sprints to her bathroom. She turns on the light and examines her appearance in the mirror.

Grimacing slightly, she grabs the brush and hastily runs it through her hair a few times. She then takes concealer and uses it to cover up the slight bags under her eyes to hide how tired she's been.

She has to look somewhat presentable.

She hears a knock at the door and stops what she's doing. She then quickly looks herself over one last time. Probably not her best night, but it'll have to do. She turns off the light and then runs to the door.

She opens it to see Quinn standing there, panting like she's been running. She's wearing a t-shirt and track pants. And her blonde mane is down and slightly unruly, which Rachel thinks is cute.

"Hi," Rachel says as she looks up at her.

Before Quinn has the chance to say anything, Rachel grabs her by the hand and yanks her inside the house.

"What's wrong?" Quinn asks as Rachel locks the door.

"Nothing. I just wanted to see you," Rachel says as she turns around.

Without warning, she pulls the younger girl to the living room.

"Are you sure everything's okay?" Quinn asks as she helplessly gets dragged along.

Rachel doesn't answer and forces her to sit down on the couch. When Quinn does, she falls on the spot next to her and smiles.

"How much have you had to drink?" Quinn narrows her eyes. Her aunt was definitely a little more upbeat than normal.

Rachel smirks and looks over at the nearly empty bottle of wine still sitting on the table. Quinn turns around to follow her gaze.

"Wow," she says.

"It was really good this time. Do you want some?" Rachel offers.

"Um, sure?"

The older woman gets up and skips over to the table. She takes the empty glass and pours the rest of the wine into it.

She comes back and hands the glass to Quinn before taking her previous position.

"That's the glass I was using if that's okay," she tells her.

Quinn nods and downs the entire thing in one go.

"Quinn! Slow down!"

The blonde puts the glass on the floor and laughs. "Really, Rachel? You're telling me that?"

Rachel shoves at her playfully with a laugh. She the. scoots closer and leans her head against the couch and smiles as she stares at the girl.

Quinn shifts nervously under the gaze and clears her throat. "So, what's going on? You made it sound really urgent when you were texting me."

"I told you already. I just wanted to see you," Rachel huffs.

"Are you sure that's all?"

"I'm sure!"

"Okay," Quinn nods. "Anyway, what have you been doing?"

"Waiting to hear from you," Rachel says. A little too aggressively.

Quinn winces. "I'm sorry. Puck and Santana distracted me so I forgot to text you when we got back."

The older woman looks up at her and frowns. "You were alone with Santana in bed again," she says bluntly.

"We shared a bed, yeah. Just to sleep. It's no big deal."

"Did you fuck?"

"Rachel!" Quinn exclaims.

"What?"

"You still need to work on your filter."

"It's just a question and I want to know the answer," she says undeterred.

"No, we didn't, all right? I've already told you that me and her aren't going to do that ever again."

"But are you sure? What if you decide to change your mind one day?"

Quinn looks at her in disbelief. "Why would I lie to you?"

Rachel looks her over for a moment. "You wouldn't."

"Exactly."

"Well, I'm just making sure."

"Why does it even matter anyway?" Quinn asks.

Rachel shrugs, "I just care about you."

Quinn doesn't say anything else and decides to let this one go for now. If something's bothering Rachel, she'll tell her eventually.

But this is strange. Is Rachel actually jealous?

The woman moves as close as she can and molds her body into Quinn's side. The younger girl wraps an arm around her shoulder and relaxes into the embrace.

Rachel stares at the necklace on Quinn's pale neck and reaches up to run her fingers over it.

"You're still wearing this," she says lowly.

"Of course I am. You gave it to me."

Rachel smiles and leans forward to lightly nuzzle the girl's neck, smirking when she sees goose bumps breaking out on the girl. She then pulls back and licks her lips before ever so slowly grazing them against the soft skin. The hand she was using to look at the necklace moves it's way up to the other side of Quinn's neck as she pulls her even closer.

She leaves a soft peck. And then another. And another...

Wanting more, Rachel begins to slowly leave open mouthed kisses at different spots on her neck. She moves her hand once again to caress the younger girl's cheek.

Quinn grabs the arm of the couch and squeezes, trying to keep herself together.

She breathes deeply and says, "Rachel, you should probably stop."

Rachel does so immediately and frowns, but still doesn't move from her position.

She pouts, "Why?"

"Because," Quinn whispers.

She runs the tips of her fingers along Quinn's jawline and asks again, "Because why?"

The blonde inhales, "Because it just makes me want to do it back to you."

Rachel feels her breath hitch at the confession and leaves a kiss just below the girl's ear.

"So do it," she whispers.

Quinn shifts her gaze down to look at her. "What?"

Rachel licks the shell of her ear and then breathes out, "You heard me."

She pulls back and Quinn turns to study her face. Quinn has a slightly uncertain look while Rachel's face is that of want and hunger.

Rachel watches as hazel eyes darken and she once again feels her entire body heat up.

Quinn suddenly grabs the older woman and pulls her onto her lap to where she's straddling her. Rachel is caught off guard and lets out a yelp.

Quinn attaches her lips to Rachel's neck and sucks fervently. The brunette moans and holds the back of Quinn's head in place as she braces her other hand against the back of the couch to keep her balance.

Quinn moves her hands to Rachel's lower back and rakes her nails upward, causing the woman to arch into her touch. Rachel squirms on her lap until she can't take it anymore. She needs more.

She pushes Quinn back by the shoulders and cups her face with both hands. They gaze at each other for a moment, both knowing what's about to happen.

"You're so beautiful," Rachel whispers.

She makes the first move by pressing her lips against the girl's forehead. Quinn closes her eyes and savors this moment.

Rachel trails down her face until their lips graze together.

She closes her eyes and presses a firm kiss against the corner of Quinn's mouth. Just the way Quinn had done a few days before. She then moves a little lower and grazes Quinn's lower lip before lightly taking it between her own lips.

Quinn kisses back suddenly with a quick peck, causing Rachel to gasp.

With one look at the challenging face of the girl below her, the older woman dives in and completely attaches her mouth to Quinn's and their lips finally move together.

Rachel moans when she feels Quinn squeeze her even tighter and threads her fingers through blonde hair. Their lips continue to slide together effortlessly.

Feeling bold, Rachel bites down on Quinn's bottom lip, causing her to gasp. She then pushes her tongue into the girl's mouth. Quinn lets out a moan and massages it with her own tongue.

She wants to roam her hands all over Rachel's body, but knows that would be pushing it. So she keeps them where they are.

She never thought she'd be in a position like this with Rachel. And it's better than any way she could have imagined. It's perfect.

Rachel pulls away to gasp for air. Quinn wastes no time and assaults her neck again. Rachel catches her breath and wraps her arms around Quinn's shoulders.

She believed that she could never feel this way again. She thought she'd go through the rest of her life without this sort of connection to someone. And she definitely never thought she'd find it with her niece of all people.

Her niece...

Her niece!

Reality suddenly crashes onto Rachel and she quickly sobers up.

"Quinn, stop!"

She panicks and scrambles out of the girl's lap and to the other side of the couch. She stares wide eyed at Quinn.

They both work to even out their breathing as they look at one another. Quinn seems to be the more confused of the two.

She frowns and moves to scoot closer to the older woman.

Rachel quickly puts a hand up and says, "Please, just stay over there."

Quinn does as she's told.

And awkward silence looms over them.

The older woman suddenly stands.

"We shouldn't have done this," she says quickly before darting for her room.

"Rachel, wait!" Quinn is able to catch her and gently grabs her by the arm and turns her around. She's not surprised when Rachel struggles against her.

"Hey, calm down. I'm sorry, okay?" she tells her.

Rachel shakes her head at her. "No, this is my fault. Not yours. I'm sorry, Quinn."

She pulls Quin's hand off of her and steps into her room.

Quinn tries to go in as well. "Rachel, please. Just talk to me?"

She ends up being slowly pushed out by the shorter woman. "Quinn, I'm sorry, but we'll talk later, okay? I need to be alone right now. Is that okay?"

Her niece understands where she's coming from and nods her head in defeat. It's probably best to let her sort everything out.

Rachel suddenly slams the door and locks it.

She pushes her ear against the door. When she hears Quinn's footsteps walking away, she sighs and goes to sit on her bed.

She puts her face in her hands and starts to silently sob.

What has she done?

* * *

Every restless night she's had was nothing compared to this.

It's already eight in the morning when Rachel finally decides to get out of bed. She was only able to get about an hour of sleep and eventually gave up trying.

She sighs, dreading what's to come. Dreading the inevitable conversation with Quinn.

She turns the knob to her door and pushes it open, quietly making her way out of the bedroom.

When she gets to the living room, she frowns when she sees Quinn asleep in the couch and sits down on the other side. As soon as she does, Quinn starts to stir, as if she could sense her presence.

The girl opens her eyes and when she sees Rachel there, she quickly sits up and starts rubbing her face to wake up.

Rachel thinks she's probably just as exhausted as she is herself.

"Hey," Quinn says with a small smile.

Rachel can't help but smile back, but then quickly frowns, "Why didn't you sleep in the guest room?"

"I was waiting for you to come out," Quinn shrugs.

It makes her feel guilty, but Rachel knows she still has to do this.

She decides to get right to the point. "Quinn, I'm so sorry about last night."

"Why are you sorry? Do you regret it?"

Rachel doesn't answer right away. She honestly doesn't regret it one bit. And she doesn't want to lie and say she does. So instead, she says, "It was a mistake."

The look on Quinn's face is enough to break her heart.

"Rachel..."

"It was a mistake," she repeats. "I shouldn't have put you in that position. I had been drinking and just felt lonely. But that doesn't excuse what I did. I promise it won't happen ever again and I hope that you'll eventually forgive me."

She recites the speech she had been preparing all night.

"Rachel, I don't need to forgive you. I wanted it just as much."

The woman pauses, but chooses to ignore the statement. "We'll just put the whole thing behind us, all right? It'll be okay."

"You know we can't put this behind us," Quinn whispers.

"Quinn, you know you'll be able to find someone in no time," she says, on the verge of tears at the thought. "And you'll forget all about this. I know it isn't ideal to go through something like this, but we can move past it."

"Don't say that. This wasn't a mistake, Rachel. There's something between us. I can feel it. And I know you feel it too. You can't say there's nothing there."

"Quinn..."

"I want you and I know you want me too. You don't have to feel ashamed to admit it."

"Please stop," Rachel chokes out. "Just don't, okay?"

"Okay, then how about this? I'll forget about everything. We'll put this whole thing behind us. But only if you can look me in the eyes and say that you don't feel anything for me," Quinn says determinedly. "Say you feel nothing for me."

Rachel knows she has to, but she can't do it.

She looks away as tears trail down her face. "I'm sorry," she whispers. "But we can't do this, Quinn."

"Why not?"

"Really?" Rachel scoffs. "Apart from how much older I am than you, I am your aunt, Quinn. And you are my niece. Did you seriously forget that?"

"We're not actually related, Rachel. Did you seriously forget that?" Quinn defends. "And I'm an adult. I can do whatever I want."

"And you think that will make everyone okay with this? You think that Judy will be okay with this? Because I guarantee that she won't be and never will be."

"She doesn't have to know about this. We hardly ever see her now," Quinn points out.

"I've done enough damage to this family already, okay? I don't want to make everything worse!" Rachel cries. "We have to draw the line somewhere. Nothing can happen ever again, Quinn."

Quinn gets up and kneels on the floor in front of where Rachel is sitting. She gently takes the woman's hand and says, "Please don't do this."

"You know we can't."

The younger girl wraps her arms around Rachel's waist and pulls her close.

Rachel hears her sniffling and knows that she's crying. She runs her hand through the blonde hair and leans down to press a kiss at the top of her head.

"Don't do this to me," Quinn whispers.

"I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have let it get this far," Rachel says as she starts crying harder.

She lets them stay like that for a few more minutes. Just holding each other for the time being. She knows she probably won't get the chance to be like this with Quinn ever again. That breaks her even more.

With as much strength as she can muster, she unwraps the girl's arms from around her and stands, pulling Quinn up with her.

She sighs, "It's probably best if we don't see each other for a while."

The look on Quinn's face makes Rachel feel that much worse.

Quinn looks at the floor and nods. "If that's what you want," she mumbles.

Knowing that she probably shouldn't, Rachel reaches up to cup the girl's cheek. "I don't want that at all. But we both know it's the smart thing to do."

Quinn exhales. And without a word, she turns around and sits on the couch to put on her shoes.

She avoids eye contact the whole time, and it takes everything in Rachel not to say anything more.

The girl finally stands and moves past Rachel and leaves the house.

When she hears the front door slam, Rachel covers her mouth with her hand as she tries to hold back her sobs. She goes to the couch and sits down where Quinn just was.

"Please don't hate me."

* * *

Quinn is miserable. So fucking miserable.

It hasn't even been a week since that last time with Rachel, and she's never felt this depressed in all of her life.

She didn't know it was possible to hurt this much. To love this much. To love someone that was never yours in the first place. Did life even work that way? It seems so cruel and unjust to her.

There's so much of her missing now and she doesn't know if she'll ever find herself again. Rachel took that away from her. She needs Rachel back in her life.

Quinn wants to talk to her. She wants to tell her that she's willing to pretend nothing happened and that her feelings don't exist if that means she can see Rachel again. But would Rachel allow that? She doubts it.

When she hears a knock at her bedroom door, she rolls over and calls out, "Come in."

Judy peeks her head in. "Quinn? Dinner's ready."

"I'll be down in a minute," she tells her mother.

She hears the door close and sits up. She sighs and gets up and stretches. This was the one night that both of her parents were off of work and they were supposed to all eat dinner and spend time together.

Quinn makes it to the dining room to see them both already sitting at the table.

Russell takes one look at her and jokes, "Were you in bed all day, kiddo?"

She smiles at her father. "No, just didn't go anywhere today," she says as she sits down.

The three begin to dig into their food.

"Didn't you say you have an interview at the Lima Bean?" Judy asks.

Quinn nods, "On Thursday. It's just a part time position."

She could use the extra cash. And she needs something to keep her busy to get her mind off Rachel.

"I'm sure they'll hire you. It's summer, so they need all the help they can get," Russell says.

They continue to eat in silence for a few minutes. It's too quiet. Normally it's not like this.

"You didn't invite Rachel?" Russell asks Judy.

Quinn does her best to keep her face stoic as simply hearing the woman's name out loud makes her heart feel like it's being squeezed.

"I did. But she said she has a date tonight!" Judy says ecstatically.

Quinn feels all of the air sucked out from her lungs. Did she really just say that Rachel has a date? Tonight?

"Good. She needs to get back out there," Russell remarks. "So who's the guy?"

Yes, who is this fucking guy, Quinn seethes.

She knows that she has no right to be upset as Rachel is free to do whatever she wants. But knowing that she's giving someone else a chance so easily just makes everything hurt worse.

She would give anything for the chance to love Rachel.

"I think his name is Brody?"

Brody? That sounds like a total douchebag name.

"Where'd she find him?" Quinn can't help but ask.

"She served him at Breadstix one night and he kept coming back and asking to take her out. I guess she decided to finally say yes," Judy smiles.

What a creep. So he was basically stalking her where she works until she agreed to go out with him? Sounds like a real winner. Good job, Rachel.

Quinn silently fumes to herself. She knows she's being irrational. But fuck. This hurts.

"He sounds nice from what she's told me. Way better than Finn at least."

Who cares? Anyone could be a better option than that fucktard.

"Sweetie, that's not saying much. It's not that hard to better than Finn."

Quinn grins at her dad. At least he gets it.

"I'm not saying he's going to be the next man she marries," Judy defends. Quinn clenches her teeth at the thought. "I just think that it's good she's taking a chance and getting back into the dating world."

She feels like she's going to be sick. She knew this was going to happen eventually. But not this soon. Why is Rachel doing this?

"Are you still going out tonight, Quinn?" Judy asks.

Quinn internally face palms. She forgot about Puck's party tonight. He said that his mom was out of town and he intended to take full advantage of it.

Well, at least it's still early so she'll have time to get ready.

"Yeah. Santana is picking me up," Quinn says as she stands and takes her plate to the sink. "I have to go shower and stuff."

"Okay. Be safe tonight!" Judy calls as Quinn runs up the stairs.

* * *

Santana's car swerves into the driveway. Quinn was already waiting outside and opens the door and hops into the passenger seat.

She looks over to see her friend holding a ridiculously large burrito and smiles.

"Want some of this?"

"No thanks," Quinn laughs. "I already ate."

Santana nods and pulls the car out of the driveway and heads in the direction to Puck's house.

"Are you gonna drink tonight?" she asks as she inhales the burrito.

"No. That probably wouldn't be a good idea," Quinn mumbles.

Santana eyes her for a moment. "What happened?"

Quinn takes a breath.

"Rachel has a date tonight," she grits through her teeth.

"What? Are you fucking kidding me? Already?"

Quinn just shrugs and continues to stare at the window, not wanting her friend to see the tears in her eyes.

She had already cried enough in front of Santana when she was telling her all about what happened that day with Rachel. All her friend could do was hold her and tell her that everything would be okay.

There might have also been a few uncalled for threats to kick Rachel's ass.

"Is she doing it just to fuck with your head?"

"She's not like that," Quinn says. "She's probably just trying to move on."

"I still say this is bull shit," Santana bites out angrily. "Like what the hell?"

"Not like I can do anything about it."

Santana drives in silence for a few minutes.

"You need to get laid. Puck said there's gonna be a lot of girls from Dalton at the party. I'm sure at least one of them wouldn't mind jumping your bones," Santana smirks. "Not like you'll have to see them ever again."

Quinn frowns, "I don't think that's a good idea..."

"Hey, if Rachel wants to move on this fast, then you should too."

She sighs. Santana does have a point.

* * *

They can hear the bass of the music thumping from down the street. Quinn has no idea how they get away with the cops never showing up to these things.

They're forced to park their car down the street and walk further than they're used to. As they walk through the threshold, the two girls aren't surprised to see the dozens of people spread throughout the house, a lot of whom they've probably never met.

Puck sees them come in and smiles. He pushes his way through everyone to greet them.

"My favorite girls, just in time," he hugs them both. "What's up?"

"We need to get Quinn some ass tonight," Santana yells over the music.

Quinn feels her face heat up and nudges her friend in the ribs. "Do you need a megaphone? I'm not sure everyone heard you."

"Say no more." They can tell Puck is already drunk with the glazed over eyes and slurred speech. "Let's go."

He pulls Quinn through the living room and to the back door with Santana following along.

When they get to the backyard, Puck approaches three girls standing together talking.

"Ladies!" Puck announces. "Have you met Quinn and Santana? They're my best friends."

All of them smile and wave awkwardly at each other.

"They just graduated from Dalton," Puck explains. "This is Unique, Marley, and...Cat?"

"Kitty," the blonde one snaps.

"Yeah, Kitty."

"Nice to meet you all," Quinn says politely.

He looks at her and quickly pulls her aside far enough to where they can't be heard. Santana joins them.

"Okay so listen, the blonde one is mine tonight. That means the other two are up for grabs," he whispers.

"You mean the one whose name you couldn't remember?" Quinn smirks.

"Yeah. And judging by the four o'clock shadow, I'm pretty sure the one in purple is a dude," Santana deadpans.

"Whatever. At least there's the girl with the dark hair. She's cute, right?"

Quinn looks over his shoulder at the girl. She was indeed cute. But she also had this clueless and naive look to her like she was sheltered all of her life or something.

"Kitty said she swings both ways. And she's open minded," Puck wiggles his eyebrows. "Now, go get wasted with her and tell me how tight that ass is later."

"Nice, Puck. Real nice," Quinn says with a disgusted face.

"Puck! Are you coming?" Kitty calls out from the back door, looking impatient.

He smiles at his two friends. "Later!"

They watch him disappear inside. Quinn figures he probably won't return until later.

"So, you guys went to McKinley?" Unique asks as she and Marley join the two girls.

Santana is silent and looks bored, so Quinn answers for them. "Yeah. We were both on the cheerleading squad."

"We were co-captains," Santana says pointedly.

"That's so cool," Marley gushes. "Kitty was on the cheer team at our school. But we never did that. I was into show choir more than anything."

"Yeah. We were both in the glee club," Unique says proudly.

Quinn perks up. Glee club? Rachel was in glee club in high school.

"So you sing?" she asks Marley.

"Girl, she's got pipes that would blow you away," Unique brags while Marley blushes.

"That's awesome."

"Thank you," Marley smiles.

Santana smirks. With the way this Marley chick is making googly eyes at her best friend, she'll bend over for Quinn in no time.

"Hey, what are you drinking?" Santana asks Unique suddenly.

Unique lights up. "This is my special mix. It's sprite and -"

"Yeah, whatever. Can you make me one?"

"Um, okay?"

Quinn looks wide eyed and shakes her head at her best friend, who has a devious glint in her eye. This is way too soon...

"Okay. Let's go, Crying Game," Santana orders as she walks back towards the house.

"Excuse me?"

"Move it!" she barks.

Unique shivers in fear and quickly follows her.

Quinn shifts nervously as she watches the two go back inside.

When they're both alone, Marley speaks.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say your friend is trying to get you alone with me."

Quinn purses her lips. Fucking Santana.

"It wasn't very subtle."

"Look, I'm not trying to -"

"It's okay," Marley laughs. "At least I'm not getting cornered by a sweaty football player. You seem pretty normal."

"Thanks, I guess?"

The two girls move further down the yard where it's quieter and sit down on the grass.

"You don't seem like the type to come to these things," Quinn observes.

Marley shakes her head, "I don't even drink that often. But Kitty invited us and Unique really wanted to come."

Quinn nods. "That makes sense."

"But I needed to get out anyway," Marley continues.

"Rough day?"

"I just broke up with my boyfriend."

"I guess we're the lonely hearts club," Quinn says sadly.

"Oh? What's his name?"

Quinn looks at her and frowns.

"Her name?" Marley tries.

"Rachel," Quinn says. She loves that name. "Her name is Rachel."

"I'm guessing you guys just broke up too?"

Quinn wishes she could say that much. Rachel was never hers in the first place.

"Something like that," she shrugs.

"And your friend is trying to help you hook you up with someone?" Marley smiles.

"Yeah, I guess so," Quinn sighs. "Rachel had a date with someone tonight. And it makes me sick knowing that she's with someone else."

"That's harsh."

Quinn nods. Harsh doesn't even begin to describe what she's feeling.

"Sorry. I don't know why I'm even telling you this."

"Maybe you're friend is right. You do need a hook up," Marley jokes.

The blonde smiles. "Probably. But I don't think I'm ready for that."

"It's always worth a shot."

Marley reaches down and laces their fingers together. Quinn looks down at their conjoined hands and frowns.

"Is this okay?" Marley asks.

Quinn simply nods, forgetting how to use her voice. She's beginning to feel anxious again.

"So, we're both here, single, and trying to get over someone. The general consensus is that you need a quick rebound. I think you're gorgeous. You haven't gotten bored with me yet. So, what do you say?"

The blonde gapes at her.

"I don't really do these things. But I figured -"

"Look," Quinn releases her hand out of the girl's hold. "You seem like a great person. But I'm not feeling up to this."

"Oh. Okay."

"I'm really sorry."

"You don't have to apologize," Marley says. "Just thought I'd try. I guess I'm more desperate to move on than I thought."

"Hey, don't worry about it. If it were any other time, I probably would. I mean, you're beautiful, but -"

"I'm not Rachel," Marley finishes for her.

Quinn is caught off guard. That wasn't what she was going to say. But it's still the truth.

"She sounds like someone very special."

"She is," Quinn agrees.

Marley smiles sadly. "There's no hope for you two?"

She sighs, "Well like I said, she's on a date tonight."

"And? I'm sure she cares about you just as much as you care about her. She's probably only on this date just to get over you. And you're here doing the same thing when you should be fighting for her."

Quinn just stares. Who is this girl, Dr. Phil?

"She doesn't want to be with me. There's no point in fighting for her," she says.

"Well, what's one more try?"

Quinn thinks about it.

"I mean, do you really wanna go through the rest of your life without giving it one last try?"

"No," Quinn says. "I really don't."

"Well?"

She knows what she has to do.

She suddenly stands. Marley gets up to join her, knowing exactly what's to come.

Quinn smiles sadly at the girl. "I'll see you around?"

"I hope so," Marley smiles back. "Good luck with Rachel."

"Thanks. Take care of yourself."

"I'll be fine. Again, I'm sorry about that."

Quinn gives her a quick hug before running into the house.

She finds Santana inside playing beer pong with Unique. They both seem to be getting along for the most part.

"Hey," she grabs her friend by the shoulder and turns her around.

Santana smirks, "That was quick."

"Take me to her house."

"What?"

"Take me to Rachel's house," Quinn says.

"Q, are you sure that's a good idea?"

Quinn shakes her head. "No. But I guess we'll find out?"

* * *

"There's no cars parked here, so that's a good sign," Santana says as they pull in front of Rachel's house. She parks by the curb and turns off the headlights. "Unless she's still out."

Quinn shakes her head, "It's already midnight. And I can see a light on inside."

"Are you sure?" Santana squints in the darkness.

"Yeah," Quinn nods.

She unbuckles her seatbelt and takes a deep breath.

"Do you want me to wait here?" Santana asks.

"No, I'll be fine."

"Quinn, have you thought this through? What if she doesn't want to see you?"

"I don't know, okay? I just know I need to see her."

"I just don't want you to be disappointed when it doesn't go the way you expect it to."

"I don't really know what to expect." She opens the car door and steps out.

"If you say so."

She turns to her friend, "But I have to do this."

Santana looks at her sadly, "Call me if you need anything, okay?"

"I will."

Quinn closes the door and watches as the car pulls away.

With a shaky breath, she turns and makes her way up the driveway.

She stares at the front door. It's now or never.

She raises her fist and knocks on the door three times. She decides to cover the peephole just in case Rachel decides to ignore her if she knew it was her.

After a minute, she hears scuffling on the other side of the door.

"Who is it?" Rachel calls out.

"It's me," she calls back, praying that the woman will open the door.

"Quinn?"

"Yeah."

It's silent for a moment. And Quinn is scared that Rachel is going to tell her to go away. Or not say anything at all.

She nearly jumps for joy when she hears the door unlocking.

It opens and Quinn is met with the sight of Rachel, who looks like she's lost just as much sleep as Quinn has lately. The woman also looks like she's been crying.

Such a beautiful mess.

"Hey," Rachel says softly.

"Hi," is all Quinn can think to say.

She's not sure who moves first. It's almost as if a magnetic pull is bringing her forward. But she finds herself wrapped in Rachel's arms as she holds the smaller woman back with just as much force.

Quinn sighs in content. She finally feels home.

Sooner than Quinn would have liked, Rachel pulls away and clears her throat.

"Are you coming inside?"

Quinn smiles and nods.

She follows Rachel inside to the kitchen where a mug of hot tea sitting on the counter. She assumes Rachel was winding down before she got here.

They both stand there in silence, just staring at one another.

Rachel is the one to finally speak. "So much for not seeing each other," she sighs.

Quinn is almost afraid to ask. "Do you want me to go?"

"No," Rachel shakes her head. "I don't."

She sips her tea slowly, studying the girl in front of her.

"How have you been?" she asks.

"Could be better," Quinn shrugs.

"Same."

"And what about you? I heard you had a date tonight."

Rachel looks at her sharply. Of course Quinn knows. She told Judy about it.

"Yes."

"How did it go?"

"Quinn..."

"Sorry. I'm just asking." Her voice cracks and Quinn mentally berates herself.

Rachel gives her a forlorn look. "It went fine. He took me to a nice restaurant and was a perfect gentleman."

Quinn nods sadly. Of course he was perfect.

"That's nice. I'm glad you enjoyed it."

She's a terrible fucking liar.

"But I don't think I'll be seeing him again."

Quinn fights the grin forming on her face. "Oh? Was there something wrong with him?"

"No," Rachel shakes her head. "At least not that I noticed."

Not wanting to push it, Quinn doesn't ask anymore of the questions that are at the tip of her tongue.

"I only agreed to go for all the wrong reasons." Rachel reaches to touch Quinn's wrist.

"Good thing you acknowledged that," she clears her throat.

"This has been so hard for me, Quinn. I can't shake off what I feel."

Quinn nods, "I know. Believe me, I've been trying too."

"How long?"

"What?" Quinn blinks.

"How long have you felt this way?"

"Since the night of my graduation. At least. Maybe longer?"

That was the night it actually hit her, she remembers vividly. And it's only grown every day since.

Rachel simply stares at her. Quinn is glad that they're at least having this conversation.

"What about you?"

The woman sighs, "It just happened so suddenly and I found myself wanting to be around you all the time. And as soon as you came over that night, that's when I knew. The moment I saw you again."

Quinn smiles despite everything.

"I don't know how all of this happened. It just did," Rachel says as she wipes away at the tears forming.

"I know this is all confusing for you. But I don't like being away from you. If I have to, I'll hide my feelings away forever. If that means I can still see you." It's hard, but it's Quinn's best option at this point. She wants to do this. For Rachel.

The older woman shakes her head, "We both know you're not going to be able to force your feelings away."

Quinn doesn't answer. She knows it's true. But she still has to try.

"And I won't be able to either."

The blonde takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. Is this the part where Rachel tells her for the last time that they can't see each other?

"But I also know that I'm not going to stay away from you again."

Quinn's eyes snap open and lock onto Rachel's.

"What are you saying?"

Rachel gently moves her fingers down to caress Quinn's hand on the counter. She stares down at it and says, "I don't know exactly. I don't know what's going on with my life anymore." She looks up at Quinn, "I just know that I want you. I can't remember the last time that I've felt this way about someone."

"So...you're willing to take a chance with me?"

"I know it's crazy. And probably a terrible idea. But I'm not going to live the rest of my life wondering what could have been. Is that selfish of me?"

Quinn smiles, "No, I don't either."

Rachel pulls Quinn's hand up and lightly brushes her lips across her knuckles.

"I don't know what I'm doing," she confesses.

"And you think I do?" Quinn asks as she moves her hand to softly run her thumb over the woman's cheek. "But I know we can figure this out together. I want to be with you more than anything."

Rachel holds her gaze and says, "Then be with me?"

Quinn takes a step and moves to where she has Rachel pinned between herself and the counter.

"If that's what you want," she whispers.

The shorter woman reaches up suddenly to grab the back of Quinn's neck. She pulls her in for a deep, languid kiss. Quinn grips onto her sides and holds her even closer.

"This is all I want," Rachel says as she pulls away.

She rests her forehead against Quinn's chest and wraps her arms around her waist, holding her as close as possible. She doesn't know how she'd ever be able to let this go. It would be impossible.

Rachel glances at the clock and tilts her head back to look up at the girl in her arms.

"It's getting late," she smiles.

"Is this your subtle way of kicking me out?" Quinn says in jest.

"No. I think you're sleeping with me tonight."

The blonde lifts an eyebrow at the statement.

"Get your mind out of the gutter!" Rachel laughs at the smirking girl.

Quinn giggles and presses a kiss to her forehead.

"I've spent a lot nights wishing I was right next to you so you could hold me. So you have a lot of catching up to do."

Not wanting to ever refuse such a request from Rachel, Quinn spends the entire night holding her, just like she wanted.

She thinks about how grateful she is for this chance with her. She just hopes that she doesn't mess it up somehow.

She doesn't know what's to come. She's not certain of their future together, or if there will even be one. All she knows is that they're just getting started.


	8. Chapter 8

Rachel vigorously punches out of her shift at the time clock and quickly grabs her purse.

"Good job today," her manager smiles at her as she gathers her things.

She stops and smiles, "Thank you!"

She was in a hell of a great mood today. And judging by how much she's made in tips, she definitely rubbed off on her customers.

She pulls out her phone and lights up at a text from Quinn.

**Quinn: I'm outside.**

"Good night!" Rachel tells everyone that's still there and skips out the door. After so many hours today, she was more than ready to leave.

She sees the red car waiting in the parking lot and eagerly runs over to it. She yanks open the door and hops in.

"Hey you," Quinn greets.

Rachel wastes no time and leans over the center console to plant her lips firmly against the younger girl, who gladly returns it.

Quinn pulls back and smiles.

"Wait! I want another," Rachel exclaims. Quinn chuckles and obliges by leaning in again.

"Better?" she asks.

"Mhmm, perfect. I don't think I'll ever get enough of it."

Quinn laughs and starts up the engine. "Good. Now let's get you home."

She drives the car out of the parking lot and onto the main road.

"You look cute in your uniform by the way," Rachel comments while playing with the edge of Quinn's Lima Bean apron.

The blonde can't help but blush, "Thanks?"

"How was your first day?"

Quinn sighs, "Fine. It was just hard trying to make all of the complicated drinks the right way. I had to start over on a few of them. And people get so impatient."

"You'll get the hang of it. At least we both work evening shifts," Rachel grins.

"Yeah, that's true."

Rachel leans her head on Quinn's shoulder and relaxes. It's been a long night.

"Are you tired?"

She hums, "Yeah, a little."

"At least we both have tomorrow off."

"Well, there's still that dinner at your house," she yawns.

"Wait, what? Dinner at my house?"

Rachel frowns and sits up. "Yeah? Judy texted me earlier about coming over for dinner with you guys tomorrow night. I thought you already knew?"

Quinn looks at her with wide eyes, "Nobody told me this. Are you serious?"

"Hey, calm down."

"What if they pick up on something? Do you think they will? I can go out for the night so we don't have to risk it. That's probably our best option."

"Quinn, stop worrying." Rachel leans over to press a kiss on the girl's cheek. "Please, just relax."

"Okay. I'm fine," Quinn says as she exhales slowly.

And to think Quinn is the one that's worried about this, Rachel laughs to herself.

The car pulls into Rachel's driveway. Both women wordlessly get out and enter the house. Once inside, they head straight to the bedroom.

Quinn grabs her bag and goes into the bathroom to change. When the door closes, Rachel quickly opens her dresser and pulls something out for herself to wear and changes.

She doesn't have to be a genius to sense that Quinn is feeling incredibly anxious about tomorrow. So she's going to have to do her best to reassure her that it's going to be okay.

She climbs into the bed bed and lays on her side, facing the window. She silently waits for the other girl to join her.

A minute later, she hears the bathroom door open and feels Quinn climbing in next to her. The girl presses herself to Rachel's backside and holds her from behind.

Rachel relaxes and reaches back to start running her hand through the long blonde hair. "I know you're worried about tomorrow," she says softly. "But there's no need to dwell on it."

"I can't help it," Quinn sighs. "I know it's ridiculous, but what if they're able to tell something is going on when they see us both together?"

Rachel turns around to face her and says, "I know that we agreed to hide our...relationship. But that doesn't mean we can avoid them forever. They're your parents."

She gently cups Quinn's delicate face between her hands and continues, "Will you please trust me when I say that it's going to be okay? We're going to make this work, one way or another. I promise."

"Of course I trust you," Quinn whispers. "And I'll do my best not to overthink it, okay? I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry," Rachel smiles. "I always want you to tell me how you feel no matter what. Good or bad, I don't care. Is that okay?"

The girl smiles back and nods her head in agreement. She closes her eyes and feels herself starting to fall asleep after an exhausting day.

Rachel shamelessly starts tracing her fingers along Quinn's face, trying to memorize every dip and curve, just because she can. She knows that she's ready to do whatever she has to in order to make sure that she never loses this girl. And if lying to everyone is what it takes, then so be it.

"What's wrong?" Quinn asks as her eyes flutter open again.

"Nothing," Rachel tells her. She tugs the girl's head closer for a quick kiss. "Let's go to sleep now."

* * *

Of course Rachel was right, Quinn thinks. They were next to each other at the dinner table and across from Russell and Judy. So far, everything seemed to be going off without a hitch. She supposes hiding one's romantic relationship with their aunt isn't as complicated as it sounds. Not like there's a guide book or anything...

"We're glad you could come over this time, Rachel," Russell smiles.

Rachel beams, "It's no problem at all. Thank you so much for inviting me."

They all continue to eat in silence. Quinn is grateful that Rachel is right next to her as it's helping to keep her anxiety at bay.

But of course, it's not going to be that easy.

Judy frowns at her daughter. "Quinn, you okay? You seem a little quiet."

Quinn stops eating and stares at her mother, unsure of what to say. Is she really acting differently? She thought she was doing fine.

But luckily, Russell laughs and speaks up first, "Quinn's always quiet."

She shakes her head and chuckles at both of them, "Whatever dad."

He grins and asks, "How was your first day at work, kiddo?"

Quinn shrugs. "It was alright. We were really busy all night. I guess people need their coffee at all times of the day."

"Well I told you they're going to be busy all summer and probably needed help."

She nods her head in agreement and continues to eat her salad.

Judy turns her attention to Rachel, "How did your date go? With...Brody, was it?"

Rachel clears her throat nervously and nods. She doesn't want Quinn being upset with the date being brought up again.

For her part, Quinn is amused by Rachel's flustered face and is forced to stifle a laugh. It's not like she's going out with that guy ever again so they don't really need to be worried about it.

"It went fine. But I just don't think he's my type," she says lamely.

"Oh, well that's a shame. He sounded really nice."

Rachel hums her agreement and avoids eye contact with her with everyone.

Judy is feeling an uncomfortable vibe coming from Rachel, so she says, "But there's plenty of fish in the sea. I'm sure you'll find someone special in no time."

"I think I will too," Rachel smiles.

They hear a faint ringing before Russell reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone.

"Excuse me, I have to take this. It's just work," he smiles at all of them and stands from the table and goes upstairs.

Rachel is just about to ask Judy how work is going at the hospital, but is interrupted by the doorbell sounding.

"Hmm, that's strange. I wasn't expecting anybody else," Judy says as she gets up to go and answer it.

As soon as the woman is out of the room and out of sight, Rachel blindly reaches over and takes Quinn's hand underneath the table, reassuring her that everything is going fine.

Quinn continues to stare straight ahead, but smiles at the gesture nonetheless. Neither girl moves or says anything. They're just glad to be able to have some sort of contact.

Their hands instantly pull apart as soon as Judy walks back into the room. She seems oblivious and looks at her daughter.

"Quinn? Santana is here looking for you," she points a thumb over her shoulder.

The younger girl furrows her brow and gets up to go see her friend. She doesn't recall any mention of Santana coming over or them hanging out tonight.

Rachel frowns and watches her as she goes, starting to feel a little anxious and uncomfortable herself.

Quinn sees Santana by the door and walks up to her.

"Hey, what's going on?" she asks.

Her friend rolls her eyes. "I tried calling you."

"Oh, sorry. My phone's been on silent."

"Whatever." Santana moves past her and heads towards the stairs and starts walking up.

Quinn can tell that the girl is upset, so she quickly follows behind her without protest.

When they get to her room, she closes the door and sits down on the bed next to Santana.

"So, what's wrong?" she asks.

Santana takes a deep breath, "I talked to Brittany earlier. She said that she broke up with Sam."

Quinn blinks at her. "I'm confused. Isn't that a good thing?"

"Well, I thought it was too, until she dropped a bomb on me."

"A bomb?"

Her friend nods. "Yeah. She also told me that they broke up because she got accepted into some dance program in California."

Quinn suddenly understands and is silent. Brittany is moving away. All the way to California, it seems.

She can't even begin to imagine how she would feel if Rachel were to move away. Even the thought of it makes her uneasy.

"She's leaving in a month."

"Well, at least it's not tomorrow," Quinn tries to lighten the mood, but it's a futile attempt.

"I'm so stupid," Santana leans her face into her hands.

The blonde reaches over and starts to rub her back. "Hey, don't say that. You're not stupid."

"I've been such a coward with her. And now looks what's happening. She's leaving and it's too late to do anything," Santana sniffles.

"We all make mistakes. Trust me. And if it's meant to be with Brittany, then it will be when the time comes."

"I just wish I could have more time with her."

"You said she leaves in a month, right? You just have to make the most out of the time you have left. You know you'll regret it if you don't."

"Yeah, I know. I'm just being dumb. It's just the shock of it all, you know? I never thought there'd be a day where she wouldn't be in my life anymore."

Quinn smiles sadly, "Yeah, I know."

Santana nods and wipes at her eyes.

"Sorry for dropping by like this. I just needed to talk to someone. And I know you're busy with Rachel and your parents."

"Don't worry about it. You can still come to me for anything."

"I know. Thanks. How's it going with Rachel anyway? It must be weird hanging around your folks when you're secretly dating, or whatever it is that you're doing."

Quinn shrugs, "It is weird, but we agreed that we can't exactly avoid them. And everything between me and Rachel is great so far."

"That's good. And are you seriously going to hide it from them forever?" Santana questions. "It's crazy."

"I guess so," Quinn frowns. "I mean, what other choice do we have? I'm going to do what I have to."

There's a quick knock at the bedroom door and both girls turn to it.

Quinn feels a panic that Judy might have been on the other side listening in on them.

"Hang on," she tells Santana and quickly gets up to open the door.

She's surprised, but also relieved, to see Rachel standing there.

"Hey, Judy just wanted me to check on you guys and make sure that everything was okay," she explains.

Quinn smiles. She knows that's a lie. But she understands why Rachel feels the need to check on her.

"Oh, she did?"

Rachel nods.

"Oh okay. Well yeah, everything's fine."

The older woman doesn't know what else to say and starts to fidget with her hands nervously.

Quinn takes a quick look up and down the hallway to make sure nobody's watching. She then takes Rachel's hand in her own for a moment.

"It's okay. We'll be downstairs in a minute," she whispers.

Rachel stares up at her and gives a half smile. She then turns on her heel and goes back down the stairs.

Quinn goes back into her room and doesn't even bother closing the door this time.

"What's up?" Santana asks.

She shakes her head, "Rachel was just checking on us."

Her friend quickly stands. "We should probably go back down before she thinks we're up to something."

Quinn nods, "Probably."

"I mean, I am hot after all," Santana jokes.

"Shut up," Quinn chuckles with a roll of her eyes and pushes her friend out the door.

They go downstairs to see Judy and Rachel talking to each other in the living room.

"I don't mean to crash the party and run, but I've gotta take off," Santana announces.

"See you later," Quinn says as she sits on the couch next to Rachel.

"Take care, sweetie," Judy smiles.

Santana smiles back. She turns and and locks eyes with Rachel. The devious side of her comes out and she can't help but smirk at the woman. Rachel blushes and quickly turns her gaze elsewhere.

Satisfied, Santana marches to the front door and calls out one last, "Bye!"

When they hear the front door slam, Judy asks, "Were you going to take off too, Quinn?"

"Not tonight," Quinn answers.

"Oh okay. Russell already went to bed and we were just about to watch a movie."

"Cool. Sounds good," she smiles and settles more comfortably on the couch.

Judy nods and grabs the remote to turn the tv on.

* * *

The movie is about halfway through, and Quinn honestly couldn't say what she was watching if she were to be asked. She hasn't been paying any attention at all. All she can think about is being closer to the beautiful woman beside her. It's driving her so fucking crazy.

As if the higher powers read her mind, Judy suddenly stands and lets out a yawn. "I think I'm gonna turn in for the night too. Good night."

"Good night," Quinn and Rachel answer at the same time.

They watch silently as the woman goes up the stairs and wait a few moments before they hear the door close.

Quinn lets out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

The two girls turn to each other and smile.

"Hi," Rachel whispers.

"Hey."

"Now that wasn't so bad, was it?"

"No, you were right."

Rachel smiles at the affirmation.

Quinn still has the urge to be close to Rachel, but knows that it's a dangerous idea to do anything here while her parents are right upstairs.

"Are we going back to your house?" she asks.

"Right now? Do you think they'll notice if you're gone?" Rachel frowns.

"No," Quinn shakes her head. "By the time they leave tomorrow, they'll probably think that I'm still asleep."

Rachel pauses to think about it.

"Okay. Then let's go."

The two girls get up from the couch and tip toe their way to the front of the house and step outside. Quinn makes sure to lock the door behind her.

They walk silently in the warm night together, their bodies playfully bumping into each other as they go along. When they're get to the end of the street and make their way around the corner, Quinn wraps an arm around Rachel's waist as they continue walking. Rachel smiles up at the girl and leans into her side.

It's only a few minutes before they get to Rachel's house. She quickly unlocks the door and pushes it open.

As soon as they're inside, Quinn suddenly presses her up against the wall and attacks her lips. Rachel moans into the hungry kiss, pulling the girl closer by her shirt.

After a moment, she feels eager hands palming her ass and reaches up to lightly tug on Quinn's hair and pull out of the kiss.

"Whoa there," she laughs. "What's with you? Not that I'm complaining or anything."

Quinn looks at her. "I've been waiting." She presses their lips together in another kiss. "To." Kiss. "Do." Kiss. "This." Kiss. "All night."

"Mmm, I can tell."

The younger girl is the one to pull back this time. "And I'm also just making sure you haven't changed your mind about us."

Rachel scoffs, "Quinn, don't be ridiculous."

She grabs her hand and pulls her into the bedroom. She climbs into the bed and Quinn is quick to follow. Rachel lays on her back while the blonde leans on one elbow to stare down at her.

"Come here," Rachel whispers. She reaches up to pull Quinn's head down to lay on her chest and starts running her fingers through the girl's hair.

"That feels nice," she hears Quinn mumble.

She smiles and continues her ministrations.

It's quiet for a few more minutes. And she finally feels like she has enough courage built up to ask, "So, what happened with Santana?"

"She just came by because she was sad about a girl and needed to talk," Quinn says. She knew she would have to explain eventually.

"That's all?" Rachel asks.

"Yeah, why?"

She sighs, "I'm just wondering. She gave me a look when she was leaving."

"A look?"

"Yes, a look."

"She was probably just messing with you. She does that to everyone. And she could probably already tell that you were maybe jealous?"

Rachel doesn't say anything and bites her lip.

Quinn tilts her head up slightly and frowns. "Are you?"

"How can I not be? She's a lot prettier than me. And much younger."

"Rachel, you're the most beautiful person I've ever met."

She smiles at the compliment, "Thank you."

"And I don't feel anything for Santana in that way. I've already said she's just my best friend and we'll never be more than that."

"She's also your first," Rachel points out. "A lot of people hold onto that, you know."

"Only if it actually meant something," Quinn argues. "I mean, clearly both of our first times have already happened. But it's in the past and all that matters is right now."

Rachel nods, "Okay." Quinn is right and it's pointless to have a fight over it.

She recalls her relationship with Jesse. "My first time was with my first love. And I honestly never even think about him anymore. You're all I think about now."

Quinn wants to say something. She wants to say that she hopes she'll be Rachel's last love. But she doesn't. She knows that would be moving too fast for them and she can't ruin this. It would kill her if she ever lost Rachel.

She hums in content when she feels the older woman run a hand up and down her back soothingly.

"I like this," Rachel says. "Being able to be this close to you."

Quinn moves her head to plant a soft kiss on the chest beneath her.

"Me too."

She squeezes Rachel's waist tighter and feels herself drifting off again. And she can tell Rachel is too by the way her breathing is evening out.

The last thing she hears before she finally succumbs to sleep is Rachel softly murmuring, "You're everything."


	9. Chapter 9

Two weeks have passed since the night that they had dinner with Russell and Judy, and everything was going perfectly. So perfect that it shouldn't be questioned. Quinn didn't take one moment with Rachel for granted. She knows how lucky she is right now in her life. She's never been happier and she doesn't want to lose that feeling.

She watches as Rachel sorts through a rack of dresses. They had been at the mall for a couple of hours and normally Quinn would be bored by now. But today, she doesn't care because she's with Rachel.

She walks up behind the woman and wraps her arms around her midsection.

"What do you think about this?" Rachel asks as she holds out a yellow dress.

"I'm sure you would look great in it."

Rachel smirks and tilts her head to the side to look at her, "Do you mean that? Or are you just trying to stay on my good side?"

Quinn giggles and presses a kiss to the shorter woman's temple. "Both?"

"I'm sure. I think I'll try it on." She turns around to face Quinn and asks, "Do you think you can go to one of those vending machines and get me a water?"

"Okay," Quinn smiles. "I'll be right back."

When she exits the store, she sees a vending machine further down on her right and starts walking towards it. When she gets there, she reaches into her pocket to dig for quarters before she hears...

"Quinn?"

She looks up to see who called out her name and smiles.

Oh, hey girl that made me go after Rachel, she thinks.

"Hey Marley."

"I'm shocked you remember me," Marley laughs as she pulls Quinn into a quick hug. "I wasn't expecting to run into you of all people."

Quinn holds her arms out and jokes, "Surprise?"

The other girl laughs lightly, "Surprise indeed."

"So, how have you been?"

"I've been good. Just trying to keep busy I guess. But you look great! Better than the last time I saw you at least."

She's not surprised at the comment. "Are you here by yourself, or...?"

"Oh, no! I'm supposed to meet Unique here. But she's late, as usual."

Quinn nods.

"What about you? Are you here alone?"

"No," she shakes her head. "I'm actually here with Rachel."

Marley smiles, "That Rachel? I'm guessing it worked out after all?"

"Yeah, everything is fine now," Quinn beams. "Thanks for giving me that push I needed."

"Well I'm happy for you...and still a little embarrassed about that night."

She scoffs, "Don't worry about it. We had a good talk, right?"

"Yeah, that's true. But anyway," she pulls a receipt and pen out of her purse and starts writing. "If you ever want to talk again, about life or whatever, then feel free to text me."

Quinn smiles as she takes the paper. She grabs the pen and starts writing her own number on the bottom portion and rips it in half, handing Marley her number.

"That goes both ways."

"Awesome! Thanks."

"Quinn?"

Both girls look over to see Rachel walking up to them with a look of concern on her face. She stops and looks back and forth between the two. "Everything okay?" she asks.

"Yeah! This is Marley," Quinn gestures to the young girl in front of her. "And this is Rachel," she smiles.

Marley's eyes widen slightly. She wasn't expecting Rachel to be older. But she's still beautiful. Way to go, Quinn.

She reaches out and shakes Rachel's hand. "Nice to meet you. It's always nice to have a face to go with the name," she smiles.

Rachel gives Quinn a questioning look.

"We met at one of Puck's house parties. Marley was the only other sane person there and we talked for a while."

With that new bit of information, Rachel finds herself sizing this girl up. Marley is pretty, but never would she be good enough for her Quinn.

"I see."

Feeling incredibly uncomfortable under Rachel's scrutiny, Marley speaks up, "Well it was nice seeing you, Quinn. But I've gotta go. So I'll leave you both to it."

She then flashes a quick smiles and hurries away.

Quinn frowns, "Bye?"

Rachel watches as the girl leaves and turns to look at the blonde, "So, you met at a party?"

"Yeah, she's a really nice girl. Santana actually tried to hook us up," she chuckles nervously even though the look on Rachel's face indicates she's not amused at all.

"What do you mean 'hook up'? Like to date?"

She swallows. She swore she would never hide anything from Rachel. But that doesn't mean she's not terrified right now.

"No...like to have sex."

"Excuse me?"

"But nothing happened!" Quinn explains immediately. "I swear."

Rachel's gaze hardens and Quinn is starting to panic.

"I mean, she wanted to. But I said no!" She slaps a hand over her mouth but it's too late.

She just had to keep going.

"So you're basically telling me that the girl you just gave your phone number to wants to have sex with you?"

"It's not like that! I just enjoyed her company! She was really easy to talk to."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

Quinn looks around and pulls Rachel into the nearest closing store and lowers her voice. "You have nothing to worry about." She brings her hand up to graze the side of Rachel's face with her knuckles. "Trust me. You're the only person I see in that way."

Rachel stares up at her for a moment when suddenly another emotion takes over her face. "Okay."

"Okay?"

Really? That's it? Just "okay"? Quinn feels like there should be more to it.

Never breaking eye contact with Quinn, Rachel reaches up and blindly grabs something from the clothing rack next to them.

"This is nice, right? I would look good in this?"

Quinn wrinkles her nose. The dress Rachel was holding was fucking hideous.

"I guess so?"

"Good. I think I'll try it on. You should come with me so you can tell me what you think."

She wraps her fist around Quinn's wrist in an iron-like hold and drags her to the back of the store. The poor girl doesn't even have time to see if anyone's looking before they disappear into one of the dressing rooms.

As soon as they're inside, the dress is tossed on the floor and Quinn finds herself being pushed up against the mirror.

She groans when Rachel's tongue forces it's way into her mouth and own immediately battles back for dominance. Pretty soon, lip biting even gets involved. The heated make out continues for several minutes until Quinn pulls away.

She doesn't want to leave it like that.

"Rach," she whispers. "You really don't have to worry about Marley. I know that you were hurt when Finn cheated on you. But you know I would never do that. I belong to you and only you."

Rachel brings Quinn's hand up and lightly kisses each one of her knuckles.

"I know. I just want to make sure that you never forget it."

Quinn's eyes darken and it causes Rachel to shiver. "You really think I could ever forget that I'm yours?"

She pushes Rachel back to the opposite wall and holds her in place. She brings her head down and their mouths meet once again in need and want.

Quinn's hand roam all over Rachel's sides and stomach, itching for more. The older woman knows that they both need more contact, so she takes Quinn's right hand herself and places it over her breast.

They lock eyes for a brief moment, knowing that it's another step forward for them. Quinn then starts kissing the woman's smooth neck and gently massages her through her shirt and bra.

"Quinn," Rachel moans when she feels a thumb circling over her nipple, stiffening it through the fabric.

The younger girl moves her hand over and does the same to the other nipple.

Rachel rakes her nails down Quinn's back as the girl continues to devour her neck. She looks over her shoulder at the mirror across from them and feels all the heat in her body shoot down to her core.

They look so hot together, she thinks. Her face is completely flushed like she's getting the fuck of a lifetime when all Quinn is doing is simply touching her. She imagines how much more amazing it'll be when they actually do go that far.

She brings her hands to the girls front side and starts trailing them down. "Fuck, yes. Keep going baby..."

A harsh knock on the other side of the dressing room door causes them to freeze.

"Just a minute!" Rachel calls out.

"This is the manager. Please come out right now," a woman's stern voice sounds from the other side.

The two girls look at each other in panic before separating and scrambling to fix their appearance.

Rachel smooths out her shirt and picks up the dress off the floor and turns to look at Quinn, who gives her a nod that she's ready. Taking a deep breath, she unlocks the door and pushes it open.

The manager is a middle-aged woman with her arms crossed and a scowl on her face. Rachel has to hold back from laughing at the woman's expression.

Holding out the dress, she says, "I was just trying to this one on." She takes a look at it and makes a face at how ugly this thing is. "But I won't be getting it."

The manager snatches the dress from her grasp. "That's too bad. Now please leave," she grits out.

Not needing to be told twice, Quinn grabs Rachel's hand and dashes out the store.

Their hands stay locked together as they run all the way back to the car. They jump in and take a moment to catch their breaths.

They glance at each other, and neither keeps a straight face for long before both women burst out Iaughing.

"I can't believe that really just happened," Rachel giggles.

Quinn leans over and grabs the woman's face and lightly kisses her. "You never told me you were crazy," she smirks.

"And you're just as crazy," Rachel shoots back playfully.

Frowning, Quinn inspects the side of Rachel's neck. "Sorry...but I think you're marked now."

Rachel pulls down the visor in front of her and gazes into the mirror at the light bruise. "It's not too bad. Makeup should be able to cover it with no problem."

"Okay. Now let's get out of here," Quinn says as she starts the car.

"Yes please," Rachel agrees.

As they drive back to her house, she thinks about all of the fun she has with Quinn. She makes Rachel feel like a teenager again, and she loves it. She loves that Quinn makes her feel younger. She loves how Quinn makes her feel about herself.

She's just so in love with Quinn.

* * *

After their eventful time at the mall, they both ended up taking a long nap together, too exhausted to do anything else.

Rachel is the first one to wake up. She yawns and rolls over to look at her sleeping love and smiles.

She then moves to hover over the girl and pepper small kisses all over her face.

Quinn smiles and slowly opens her eyes.

"What are you doing?" she asks.

"Hmm, nothing." Rachel leaves a full kiss on her lower lip. "I already told you I would never get tired of that."

"Is that so?" The blonde reaches to cup the back of Rachel's neck and return the kiss.

Quinn's phone starts ringing from the night stand and she groans. She grabs it to see Santana calling and silences it.

She turns back to Rachel to continue what they were doing when the damn thing rings again.

"Oh my god!" Quinn shouts.

"You should probably answer it," Rachel laughs.

She snatches the device and swipes the screen to answer.

"What?" she barks.

"Damn, what crawled up your ass and layed eggs?"

Quinn covers her face with a palm and sighs, "What do you want, Santana?"

"Oh shit. Were you just getting some action?"

"Santana!"

"Okay! Sorry. But anyway, you're off until Friday, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"So you're coming to the lake house with me and Brittany."

"What?" she asks in disbelief.

"You. Me. Brittany. Lake house. Is that so hard to understand?"

"Are you being serious?"

"Serious as a heart attack."

"How about no? Why do I have to go when I'm just going to be a third wheel to you and Brittany?"

She hears Santana sigh on the other end, "That's the thing. Brittany said she would only go if you go. Something about wanting all of us to spend time together before she leaves. And maybe something else about me only wanting to have sex if no one else is there with us."

Quinn is fuming. Stupid Brittany has to be so sweet all the time.

"You know you're going to be having sex whether I'm around or not. It's pointless for me to go."

"I already told you she's only going if you do. She's standing her ground."

"When are you going anyway?"

"We leave tomorrow morning. It's only for two nights."

Quinn looks down at Rachel, who's playing with the necklace that she got for Quinn. She has to spend two nights away from this?

"Do I really have to? There's no other way?"

"We both know Brittany is leaving soon," Santana snaps. "And after all we've been through, you should be a good enough friend to drag yourself away from Rachel for a couple of days and do this for your."

"Okay, I'm sorry," Quinn says guiltily. "I'll go, all right?"

"I'll pick you up at nine," her friend says before hanging up.

Quinn stares at the phone and mutters, "Fuck."

"Is everything okay?" Rachel asks.

"Santana is forcing me to go with her and that girl Brittany to the lake house for a couple of days," she sighs. "Apparently Brittany wants to see me before she leaves for California."

"You don't sound too happy about it."

"Of course not, because that means two days away from you," Quinn pouts.

Rachel laughs, "That's sweet. But just because you have me doesn't mean you should ignore your life outside of us. It'll be fine."

"You're right. I'm just being selfish. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I told you I want to always know how you're feeling," Rachel smiles.

Quinn nods. "I'll leave my car here for you so you can take it to work and wherever else," she offers.

"Thank you." Rachel leans forward and kisses Quinn on the cheek.

The phone starts ringing again and Quinn looks like she's ready to kill someone. She looks at the screen to see who's calling now.

She sits up immediately in panic.

"It's my mom," she tells Rachel.

Rachel sits up as well and both women look at each other with worry in their eyes. Quinn hesitantly answers.

"Hello?"

"Quinn? Where are you?"

"I'm just hanging out with Santana." She looks at Rachel and shrugs.

"Oh okay. We're making dinner and I'm just wondering when you'll be home?"

She sighs, feeling relieved. "I'll be home in a little while."

"See you soon!"

The line goes dead and Quinn bites her lip. She puts down the phone and turns to Rachel.

"What happened? Is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine," Quinn smiles. "She just wanted to know when I'll be home to eats dinner."

"Oh. Okay. So I guess you're leaving?"

Quinn leans forward and kisses her softly. "Yeah, I probably should."

They both get up from the bed and Rachel pulls her into a loving embrace.

"I should probably stay at my house tonight so they don't start wondering why I'm gone all the time. Just to be safe," Quinn says.

Rachel nods in understanding. "Okay. That's probably a good idea."

"But I'll come by in the morning before I leave," Quinn promises.

"You better," Rachel laughs and pulls the girl down for one last kiss before she goes.

* * *

When Quinn gets home, she sees her parents already eating at the table. She pulls a chair out and joins them.

"Sorry I'm late," she says.

"No worries, sweetie," Judy grins. "You were out all day. Did you have fun?"

She smiles genuinely. "Yeah, I did."

* * *

Rachel hops in the shower as soon as she wakes up. Quinn is supposed to be there any minute and she wants to have as much time with her as she can before she leaves.

When she turns off the water, she faintly hears her bedroom door closing.

"Hello?" she calls out.

"It's just me," she hears coming from her room.

She smiles and quickly grabs the robe hanging next to her and wraps it around her body. She then opens the bathroom door and beams at the girl sitting on her bed.

"Quinn!"

The blonde smiles. "Hey. I hope it's okay but I let myself in."

"Of course. That's why I gave you a key."

She goes to the sink and starts brushing her hair. Quinn gets up and stand in the doorway to watch her.

"Oh, and I left my car keys on the table."

"Thank you. How soon are you leaving?" Rachel asks.

"Santana said she's on her way."

The older woman pouts and sets the brush down. She turns around and hops up to sit on the sink.

She holds her hand out to Quinn and quietly says, "Come here."

Quinn does as she's told and approaches her. Rachel spreads her legs apart to pull Quinn to stand between them. She hugs the girl close to her and sighs.

"I'm going to miss you," the blonde murmurs.

"I'll miss you more."

Quinn laughs and shakes her head. She never thought she'd be one of those girls that can't stand being away for too long. But that's what Rachel does to her. She's reduced her to some love-sick sap. But god, she loves this woman.

She grabs ahold of the older woman and kisses her hard. Rachel eagerly returns and pulls Quinn even closer.

The blonde starts touching her just like she did the day before, only this time they don't have to worry about the danger of getting caught. Rachel starts to feel a familiar ache building up, and gently pushes Quinn back by the shoulders.

"What -" Quinn starts, but quickly shuts her mouth.

Rachel slips her arms out of the sleeves of her robe and pulls the top part of it down, leaving her naked from the waist up.

Quinn stares down at the seemingly delicious mounds in wander with her mouth agape.

Giggling, Rachel reaches her hand out to tip the girl's chin up to make eye contact with her once again. With one look into her eyes, Quinn surges forward.

She gives the woman a quick kiss before moving her head down. She takes a nipple into her mouth and sucks and uses her hand to palm the other breast. It doesn't the long before both of Rachel's peaks are rock hard.

"Keep going," Rachel moans out.

Quinn moves her mouth to the other nipple and gives it the same treatment. She rapidly flicks her tongue over the stiff bud and lightly grazes it with her teeth.

"Fuck," the woman gasps.

Replacing her mouth with her other hand, Quinn comes back up and starts kissing her favorite pair of lips again.

Rachel reaches forward and attempts to undo Quinn's belt. But she stops when she feels her gently stilling her hands.

"Quinn, what's wrong? I wasn't expecting to go all the way," she explains breathlessly. "I just wanted to make you feel good too."

"I know. It's okay," Quinn says as she takes a step back to separate them. "It's not you. I know you already know about what I have there, and that's okay. I'm sorry, it's just that I'm..."

"What?" When Quinn doesn't say anything, Rachel takes her hand. "Hey it's okay. Talk to me. I won't be upset."

Quinn inhales. "I'm just really self conscious when it comes to showing...it to someone for the first time. At least to someone I really like. So yeah, I guess this is the first time I've been this nervous about it," she rambles. "And I just need to mentally prepare myself in case you get grossed out when you see it. I don't want to scare you away."

Rachel frowns, "It won't scare me away, Quinn. That's not possible."

"No?"

Taking a deep breath, Rachel knows it's time to finally tell Quinn.

"I've already seen it. Actually, I've already seen all of you...completely naked."

"What are you talking about?" Quinn frowns. She doesn't remember this at all. Was it when she was drunk? No, she would recall.

"I know I should have told you sooner, please don't be mad," Rachel says quickly. "But I walked by the guest bedroom one night when you were over. I looked in and you were masturbating. On the bed. Naked."

Quinn's mouth drops open, realization dawning on her. "You did?"

Rachel nods and clears her throat, "Yes. And I also heard you saying my name."

Blushing, Quinn starts to look away in embarrassment, but Rachel is quick to place a hand on her cheek and hold her in place.

"And you know what? I wasn't grossed out by it at all."

"Well that's good," Quinn says lamely, still embarrassed.

Rachel pulls her close to her own body again and speaks directly into her ear.

"At the time I was trying to fight it, but I actually thought that it was really hot," she whispers seductively.

"Really?" Quinn gulps.

She trails her fingers over the zipper of the girl's jeans.

"Yes. And it took everything in me not to touch myself when I got back to my room."

She fully cups Quinn through her jeans and smirks when she hers a whimper.

"I watched when you finished all over yourself. I couldn't believe you came that much because of me."

She starts rubbing the bulge more firmly.

"Only thinking of you does that to me," Quinn gasps out.

"I wanted to march right in there and do it for you. Just like this..."

Rachel unzips Quinn's pants and slips her hand into the boxer briefs. She starts stroking the full length and gasps at how thick it feels.

"Oh god, Rach," Quinn hisses. "That feels so fucking good."

She jerks her hips forward and cries out.

"Hang on, Quinn."

Rachel slips her hands into the waistband of the jeans and starts pulling them down.

A car horn blares obnoxiously and Quinn jumps back in surprise. Rachel flinches in shock as well.

Realizing what's happening, Quinn pulls at her hair and screams, "I fucking hate Santana!"

Rachel chuckles and hops off the counter. She zips Quinn back up and fixes her belt.

The incessant honking continues.

"Fuck! Hold on!"

She full on laughs and wraps her arms around Quinn.

"Calm down. We'll continue this when you get back," she smirks.

"Now that's just not fair. You can't say that when I'm about to leave! You seriously expect me to get through this trip without killing anybody now?" Quinn pouts.

She kisses the girl deeply and pulls back. "I promise I'll make it worth your time."

She gently takes Quinn by the elbow and walks her to the front.

"All I'll be thinking about is coming back to you," the girl whispers before kissing her softly.

Rachel smiles.

"I'll be waiting."


	10. Chapter 10

Quinn dries off with her towel as she walks back towards the lake house. After a couple hours of swimming, she felt completely drained.

When she walks in through the threshold, Santana is right behind her. She turns around and sees that it's just the two of them.

So she asks, "Where's Brittany?"

"She's outside tanning."

"Oh, okay." Quinn is slightly worried that she'll be met with a very sunburned Brittany later. But hey, you live and learn.

"Do you have a minute?"

She frowns at her friend and says, "Yeah, what's going on?"

Santana moves towards the couch. "Sit with me."

Quinn does as she's told and takes a seat next to the other girl.

After a full minute of silence, Quinn decides to get things going. "Santana?"

The girl seems like she's on the verge of tears when she finally looks up at her best friend. "Me and Brittany talked for a while earlier. She admitted that she only dated Sam because she wanted to move on from me."

"Yeah, no shit," Quinn chuckles.

"So yeah, whatever."

The blonde nudges her, because she knows that there's more to it.

"And then she said that she's always loved me and that she always will."

Quinn's smiles softly. "And what did you say?"

"I told her that I loved her too."

"It's about time."

Santana glares at her before continuing, "And she said that we should be together, and that I should go to California with her..."

She looks at her friend and realizes how serious this conversation is. "And then?"

"And then I told her that was a crazy idea."

"But you still didn't say no?"

Santana looks at her, "How could I possibly do that? In what world would that be a good idea?"

Quinn shrugs, "I don't know. But you love her and she loves you. Maybe she's right and it's time that you're truly together."

"How am I going to just drop everything and move across the country like it'a no big deal? There's nothing for me over there."

"There's Brittany."

"And what about school? I'm already set up at fucking University of Lima with you and Puck."

"You don't sound too thrilled about it."

"That's not the point!"

"Then what is the point? Because it sounds like you're just trying to come up with excuses."

Santana sighs, "I don't know. I mean, what am I going to do with my life if I move to California?"

"Probably a lot more than you can do here."

Her friend cracks a smile, "Lima _is_ a shithole."

"Exactly. And there's plenty of schools you can get into over there. And I'm sure you can easily find a job. It's not like you need to decide right now. I'm just saying that there's so many options for you, Santana. Don't be afraid to take risks."

"Yeah, I know. It's just the idea is so sudden and crazy to me."

"Just give it time. Maybe it won't seem so crazy once you start putting more thought into it."

Santana nods and contemplates to herself for moment.

"You just want me to move away, don't you?" she teases.

Quinn rolls her eyes, "You're my best friend. And I want you to be happy for once in your life."

"Just like you're happy with Rachel?"

She smiles, "Exactly."

Both girls suddenly hear Brittany calling from outside, "Santana?"

"Look, we'll talk more about this later," Santana says as she stands up. "But thank you, Quinn."

"No worries. Let me know what you decide to do?"

"Yeah."

A red faced Brittany trudges into the room miserably and asks, "Do you guys know where the sunscreen is?"

* * *

After another exhausting shift at Breadstix, Rachel takes a quick shower when she gets home and curls up into her bed.

Frowning when she realizes that she hasn't heard from Quinn in a few hours, she grabs her phone and sends the girl a text.

**Rachel: Hey! How's everything going?**

A reply comes a few minutes later.

**Quinn: Fine I guess. I've just been busy being a third wheel all day.**

She pouts.

**Rachel: Aw I'm sorry.**

**Quinn: At least I have a room to myself.**

**Rachel: That's good :)**

**Quinn: And I have some stuff to tell you when I get back. Don't worry. Nothing bad.**

She wonders about what Quinn could possibly have to tell her, but figures she'll take her word for it and wait until she gets back to hear it.

**Rachel: Got it :P**

**Quinn: How are you doing?**

**Rachel: Good. I'm in bed already and bored all by my lonesome. I miss you :(**

**Quinn: I'm laying down too and I miss you so much. I'm dying over here without you.**

**Rachel: So am I, baby...**

**Quinn: It's only a couple more days. We can do this.**

An idea crosses Rachel's mind and she smirks.

She bites her lip and types out...

**Rachel: Are you by yourself?**

**Quinn: Yeah, why?**

She quickly peels her shirt off.

**Rachel: You know I'm not the only one that's lonely. My girls miss you too ;)**

**Quinn: Girls?**

She opens her camera and stretches her arm out to hold the phone above her. Using her other hand, she softly grips her left nipple between her thumb and forefinger and snaps a photo of both of her breasts.

After she hits send, she doesn't have to wait long for a response.

**Quinn: Oh my god that's so fucking hot. I can't wait to have them in my mouth again.**

**Rachel: I can't wait either...**

**Quinn: I'm so hard that it hurts.**

Rachel's breath hitches.

**Rachel: Can I see?**

She doesn't receive a reply for a couple of minutes and she's starting to worry that maybe she went too far.

But all of her doubts are suddenly washed away when she receives a message with a picture attachment.

**Quinn: I'm THAT hard.**

She opens the picture and her mouth waters at the sight. Quinn's smooth member was staring right back at her. It looked like Quinn was laying down and holding it up from the base.

She wasn't kidding when she said she was hard, Rachel thinks. It looked as thick as the night she saw it and the length looked even longer. She could make out drips of precum coming from the bulbous head and wanted nothing more than to taste it.

**Rachel: That's because of me?**

**Quinn: Yes baby.**

Rachel takes a breath and feels excitement. She can't believe they're doing this.

**Rachel: I need it in my mouth right now. I want to suck you so bad ;)**

**Quinn: Rachel...don't say that or I'm gonna have to leave right now and take you up on that offer.**

**Rachel: I can't help it. Your cock looks so delicious...**

And oh god, it does.

**Quinn: Well it's hard and waiting for you.**

She kicks the comforter off of her body and rids herself of her underwear. She spreads her legs apart and reaches down to tease her soft, trimmed curls. She then stills her position and holds her phone in place to take another picture to send to Quinn.

**Rachel: I figured it would only be fair.**

She eagerly awaits Quinn's reply. She's never sent pictures like these before. And rather then feeling nervous, she finds it quite exhilarating.

**Quinn: You're so beautiful.**

Rachel wasn't sure what she was expecting her to say, but that definitely wasn't it. Only Quinn could manage to be so sweet at a time like this.

**Rachel: Thank you...**

**Quinn: And you look so damn tight. I don't know if you'd be able to take me all the way.**

She smirks.

**Rachel: You'll probably have to stretch me really good. But I don't care as long as you're all the way inside.**

She can't wait to have that particularly intimate connection with this girl.

**Quinn: Don't worry. I would be as gentle as I could with you, my love.**

That's right, she's _her_ love.

Rachel opens up the picture Quinn sent her and starts rubbing circles on her clit.

**Rachel: But not until I properly get you off in my mouth.**

The thought of having Quinn's dick in her mouth is incredibly arousing to her.

**Quinn: Oh god, baby...**

She runs the tip of her middle finger up and down her wet slit.

**Rachel: I don't have a gag reflex...so I'd let you fuck my face nice and hard.**

She teases her opening with her finger, not wanting to dive right in so this can last longer.

**Quinn: Then I'd return the favor. I love kissing you, but I want to taste your other lips.**

Fuck it. The thought of Quinn's beautiful blonde head between her legs causes Rachel to plunge her finger all the way in. She moans as she rapidly draws the digit in and out.

**Rachel: I'm touching myself. Keep going.**

**Quinn: And after you scream my name, I would gladly lick you clean.**

She adds another finger and doesn't stop her pace. She's too focused to type out a reply, but that doesn't stop Quinn.

**Quinn: Then I would come up and slide my stiff cock all the way into you. Your pussy is going to feel so good around me. I'm not going to be able to control myself for long before I start pounding into you hard.**

The image of Quinn moaning while hovering over her pushes Rachel that much closer to the edge and she pumps her fingers faster.

Her phone goes off again.

**Quinn: And after I have you screaming again, I'm going to cum deep inside of you. It's going to be so much that it drips out of your hole.**

Thinking of Quinn's essence being released inside her is what does it for Rachel.

After a few more pumps of her hand, she sees stars, "Oh fuck! Quinn!"

She clenches hard around her fingers and gushes all over herself. Her orgasm keeps hitting her in waves before she finally slows her hand down.

She gasps as she finally pulls her fingers out of herself and wipes them on the bed sheets.

After catching her breath, Rachel picks up her phone and smiles at the newest text message.

**Quinn: And then after we'd finish,** **we would hold each other all night and I would think about how lucky I am to have you like this.**

Rachel knows that she would likely be thinking the same exact same thing.

**Rachel: That's perfect.**

**Quinn: You still alive over there?**

She laughs.

**Rachel: Barely. You've worn me out already. I think I'm going to fall asleep soon. I miss you and I can't wait to see you.**

**Quinn: I miss you too. And sorry if I got a little carried away...**

**Rachel: You think you got carried away? You should see the mess I made over here ;)**

**Quinn: Not fair :(**

**Rachel: Don't worry. You will next time. I'm going to sleep now.**

**Quinn: I better. Talk to you tomorrow?**

**Rachel: Of course :)**

**Quinn: Good night.**

I love you so much, Rachel thinks. And she can't wait to express her love in every way possible.

* * *

She's startled awake by a knocking at the front door. Not expecting anyone, she quickly gets up and throws on a pair of sweatpants and t-shirt. Why the hell is someone here so early?

Rachel glances at the clock in horror when she realizes that it's already ten in the morning.

The knocking continues.

"I'm coming," she calls out.

She quickly jogs to the front and opens the door.

She instantly freezes and her eyes widen. "Judy?"

Her older sister wraps her into a tight hug. "I'm sorry I came by unannounced! I just wanted to come say hello." She glances down at Rachel's attire and frowns. "Did you just wake up?"

Rachel nods, "Long night at work."

She lets Judy in and follows the woman into the living room.

"So, I noticed that Quinn's car is here," the blonde says as she settles on the couch.

Swallowing, Rachel says, "Oh that's right, I forgot. She said she would leave it here while she was gone so I didn't have to worry about finding a ride to work. I thought she told you?"

Judy shakes her head, "No, but that's typical Quinn. Always looking out for everyone."

Rachel smiles and nods her head in agreement.

"Have you talked to her much lately?"

Clearing her throat, she says, "Not really. I've been so busy with work lately. Why do you ask?"

"She's been acting different lately. And I'm just wondering if maybe she's told you anything about what's going on with her?"

Rachel shakes her head, "No, she hasn't."

"I'm not sure, but I have this feeling that she's hiding something."

"Hiding something? Like what?"

"I don't know," Judy shrugs. "But I know my daughter and I just know that there is something. I just hope she's not getting herself into trouble."

"I don't think she's in trouble. She's a smart girl. She's probably just got her mind focused on work and school coming up."

Judy sighs, "You're right. I just hope that's all there is to it."

"So, did you just come over here to ask me about Quinn?" Rachel teases, but desperately prays that the attempt at a subject change works.

"Oh, no! Of course not. I wanted to see how you've been doing. We haven't heard from you lately. Is everything okay?"

If being in love with your daughter counts, then everything is great, Rachel thinks.

"I've never been better," she smiles. "I love it here in Lima."

"Never thought I'd hear those words coming out of you," Judy chuckles. "Years ago, I remember you ranting about how much you hated this place. You don't miss New York at all?"

"Sometimes, but not really."

She truthfully does think about her life living in the city every once in a while. But as much as she enjoyed it, she would never go back to that life without Quinn. If Quinn wanted to spend the rest of her life in Lima for whatever reason, then she would too. Now that Rachel thinks about it, she really needs to ask Quinn to think about what she wants to do in life. But is it too soon to be talking about those things?

"You okay?"

Rachel snaps out of her thoughts. "Yeah, sorry. Just zoned out for a minute."

"A lot on your mind too?"

She nods, "I just worry about the future sometimes."

"Hey, I've always told you that you didn't need Finn to make something of yourself. It's never too late to do anything, you know?"

Yes, it's daunting, Rachel thinks. How can she question Quinn's life when she doesn't even know what she's doing with her own? They probably should have a talk soon so they can figure out what they're doing and do it together. She loves Quinn, and she knows that they're in for the long run.

But the other thing that haunts her is Judy. Rachel knows that if she wants to seriously commit to Quinn, then Judy is going to have to find out eventually. Maybe not right now, but one day.

She's already dreading that day.

"Judy?"

"Yes?"

Taking a deep breath, Rachel asks, "Do you still hate me for leaving all those years ago?"

Judy gapes at her, "Rachel, I never hated you. Why would you think that?"

She shrugs, "I don't know. I guess because I was so selfish that even I would have hated me. I'm surprised you even let me back in your life at all."

"Well, I wasn't happy about it when you left, obviously. But you're my sister, and I love you no matter what."

"No matter what?"

"No matter what. I promise."

Rachel wonders if that statement will still ring true after Judy finds out about everything.

She smiles, "Thank you."

"And just remember, you don't have to have everything figured out right away. But trust me when I say that you can do this on your own."

She doesn't know if that's true. She probably could, but it would be a struggle. And luckily, she doesn't have to do this alone now. She doesn't have to be alone ever again.

Rachel knows that if nothing works out for her and she somehow loses everything again, she'll be okay. Because she knows that she'll always have Quinn.


	11. Chapter 11

After Rachel clears off her last table for the night, she feels her phone vibrate in her pocket. She looks around to make sure that all of the customers are gone. When she sees that they are, she figures it's okay to pull her phone out.

**Quinn: Hey, we just got into Lima. Santana said that she'll drop me off at your house :)**

Rachel squeals in excitement, earning a weird look from another waitress walking by, but she ignores it.

She knew that Quinn was coming back tonight but didn't think she was going to get to see her until tomorrow.

**Rachel: Are you sure? What about your parents?**

**Quinn: Don't worry. They're working tonight. I'll see you when you get off.**

**Rachel: Okay! I can't wait!**

Her night just got a thousand times better. She quickly gets to work on all of her closing duties so she can go home and see Quinn.

* * *

She ends up finishing in record time and nearly trips on her face running through the parking lot like a fool before racing home in Quinn's car.

When she gets to the house, she bursts through the front door and frowns when she sees all of the lights off.

"Quinn?" she calls out, but there's no answer.

She checks the living room and the kitchen, but the girl isn't anywhere in sight.

Panicking slightly, Rachel goes to her bedroom. When she opens the door, she immediately feels her heart swell up. Laying on the bed was her adorable blonde, fast asleep.

She walks over to the bedside and leans down to kiss the top of her head.

"I missed you," she whispers. There's no response and she figures she'll let the girl sleep for now.

Feeling gross from her shift at work, Rachel decides to take a quick shower before she goes to bed.

She goes into the bathroom and closes the door behind her. After quickly stripping off her uniform, she jumps in the shower and gets to cleaning herself.

After she's done, she dries off with a towel and realizes that she forgot to bring clothes with her. She doesn't worry about it and wraps a robe around herself for now.

When she comes out of the bathroom, she sees that Quinn is still laying down. But at least she's awake now.

"Hey," she says softly.

"Sorry, I passed out as soon as I hit the bed. I was so tired," Quinn yawns.

"I know," Rachel smiles. "It's okay."

She moves to the other side of the room where her dresser is and opens one of the drawers. She grabs a pair of underwear and slips it on quickly underneath her robe. She then finds a bra to wear and discards the robe completely.

As she puts her arms through the straps, she hears some light shuffling from the bed. And when she finally fastens the garment in place, she can feel Quinn standing directly behind her. She stills and keeps her gaze focused in front of her.

"What are you doing?" Quinn breathes out.

Rachel feels her body temperature rising. "Getting dressed," she answers simply.

"No you're not."

Her bra is instantly unsnapped and Rachel has to fight the stupid grin from forming on her face.

"No?"

"I don't think so," Quinn teases as she pulls the straps back down Rachel's arms and carelessly tossing the bra on the floor.

The girl then pushes a curtain of dark hair to the side and presses a light kiss to her shoulder.

Rachel braces her hands against the edge of the dresser. "Then what am I doing?"

"Hmm." Quinn takes off her own shirt and bra as fast as she can as well as her pants, leaving herself in nothing but her boxer briefs. "I think we're just talking."

She presses herself up against Rachel's backside and gently covers the woman's hands with her own, effectively holding her in place.

Rachel closes her eyes at the feeling of hard nipples pressed against her back. "Mm, I like talking."

Quinn's fingers start to twitch before she asks, "Can I touch you?"

"You don't have to ask, baby."

She trembles as Quinn moves her hands to lightly graze her sides.

"Quinn?"

"Hmm?" She brings one hand up to come into contact with her nipple using a featherlight touch. She then gropes her breast completely.

Rachel whimpers and cranes her head to the side. "Kiss me."

Quinn leans down to fuse their lips together in a hungry kiss as she continues to fondle Rachel's chest. The woman reaches up to tangle her hand into Quinn's hair and moans.

The blonde moves her other hand lower and firmly cups Rachel through her underwear.

Rachel tugs harder on Quinn's hair and urges the girl to keep going.

Quinn pulls back and leaves an open mouthed kiss on her shoulder once again. She then moves her mouth lower to place a series of kisses down her back and only stops when she's on her knees.

Reaching up, she slips her fingers into the sides of Rachel's panties and begins to drag them down her toned legs.

The woman takes a deep breath and steps out of them when Quinn pulls them down all the way. She feels exposed and it's making the adrenaline course through her body. But she trusts Quinn, so she spreads her legs a little wider and arches her back slightly.

The younger girl doesn't think she's seen anything hotter than the sight of Rachel like this. She knows that the woman is feeling anxious, so she tries to help and ease her nerves.

She runs her hands up and down the backs of her thighs and rasps out, "Do you have any idea how sexy you are?"

She frowns when she hears a whispered "no" coming from above her.

"You turn me on so much just from looking at you." She presses a kiss to one ass cheek and repeats on the other.

Quinn smirks as Rachel shudders and murmurs, "Fuck."

She reaches up with one hand and drags her nails down the woman's back, then moves her other hand to the inside of her thigh and softly caresses her.

"You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," she says as she grabs Rachel's hips and moves her lower body out a little further.

Rachel grips the dresser tighter when she feels Quinn's hot breath on her.

"Am I prettier than Santana and Marley?"

It was spoken so softly that Quinn almost didn't hear it. That, and the fact that she was fixated on Rachel's bare sex right in front of her. She angles her head and presses her lips to it.

"They can't even compare to you, Rachel," she says before kissing it again. "No one can."

She kisses it more fully this time and opens her mouth for further contact, and it doesn't disappoint. She slips her tongue between Rachel's outer lips and groans in ecstasy.

"Fuck, you taste amazing."

Rachel pushes back into Quinn's face and mewls softly as the girl continues to taste her.

After a moment, Rachel reaches down and gently tugs her hair. "Baby, come here."

She turns around as Quinn stands with an adorable pout. "I wasn't done."

Rachel giggles and grabs a hold of Quinn's face as the blonde wraps her arms around her waist. She promptly brings their mouths together so that she can taste herself on Quinn's lips.

Quinn moans when Rachel's starts sucking on her tongue and feels herself growing harder. She then yelps when the woman bites her lower lip.

"I never said you were done," Rachel says as she pulls back. "Bed?"

The blonde nods her head enthusiastically, "Bed."

Rachel moves to the bed quickly and lays down on her back, pulling Quinn on top of her. The girl nestles between her legs and continues with kissing her. The older woman's eyes roll back when she feels that delicious bulge rubbing perfectly against her hardened clit.

Quinn detaches her lips and crawls down Rachel's body, making sure to leave kisses all over her chest and stomach.

When she reaches her destination, she presses a lingering kiss on the soft mound of curls before moving lower and nudging her thighs wider.

When Rachel obliges, Quinn brings her hand up to run a finger through her folds.

"You're so wet, baby," she remarks.

Rachel bites her lip and squirms under the touch. "I've been waiting on you."

Quinn moves her head forward and slowly swipes her tongue from Rachel's opening up to her clit. The older woman's head falls back as she cries out, "Oh god!"

Grinning at the reaction, Quinn brings an arm up to Rachel's lower abdomen to hold her still. She then returns to her opening and pushes her tongue inside as deep as she can and rapidly moves in and out of the tight channel.

Rachel's hips move on their own accord and she can't help it when she starts humping Quinn's face. "Ah! So good," she breathes.

Quinn feels a hand roughly grab her hair and she knows that Rachel is close. She quickly replaces her tongue with two fingers and pumps in and out.

"Baby! Don't stop!"

She blindly reaches up to massage one of those perfect breasts and attaches her lips to Rachel's swollen clit and starts sucking.

Rachel thrashing around on the bed makes this task a lot more difficult, but Quinn makes sure to never lose contact with her mouth. She'd rather stop breathing than risk not satisfying her love.

She feels the slick walls around her fingers tightening and watches as Rachel arches off the bed. She curls her fingers and quickens her pace as the woman comes undone.

"Quinn!" Rachel screams out when finally she reaches that heavenly peak. Her body convulses as each wave crashes over her and it seems to last forever. She's never felt this high before. And that's exactly what she is. High because of Quinn.

When she finally starts to come down, Quinn slowly pulls out of her knowing how sensitive she must be. She leaves one last kiss on the wet folds before moving back up to lay next to Rachel, who eagerly turns to her and pulls her in for a kiss.

"That was perfect," she smiles after she pulls away.

"You're perfect," Quinn says as she pecks her lips again. "And so beautiful."

Rachel gently runs the tips of her fingers down the girl's chest. "You make me feel beautiful."

She pushes Quinn to lay on her back and leans on her elbow to look down at her. She reaches her hand down and starts tugging on the boxer briefs that Quinn is still wearing.

"Off. Now," she demands.

The blonde quickly pulls them down her legs and kicks them off of the bed. After getting Rachel off like that, her cock was already standing at full attention, begging for contact.

Rachel begins kissing her again and wraps her hand around the shaft and begins stroking up and down the length.

Quinn pulls out of the kiss and pants, "Rach, I don't think I'm gonna last very long."

"That's okay, baby. I want to see you cum again."

She groans and kisses the older woman again. Needing to grab ahold of something, she brings her hand up to play with Rachel's breast, kneading and massaging it roughly. Rachel moans at the contact and starts jerking her faster.

"Cum for me, Quinn."

When Quinn feels that she's nearly there, she throws her head back and screws her eyes shut. She whimpers and bites her lip as she feels her balls tightening.

Knowing that face, Rachel turns her head and watches as thick spurts of cum shoot out and land on Quinn's stomach as the girl cries out. She doesn't think she'll ever get used to seeing Quinn release so much at once. Much of the liquid even gets on her hand, but she doesn't mind at all.

When it seems like she's finally milked as much as she could, she releases her grip on Quinn and moves down to start licking all of the girl's seed off of her body.

"Oh god," Quinn murmurs at the view of Rachel cleaning up the cum off of her. She places her hand on the woman's head and gently runs her fingers through her hair. "You're amazing."

Normally, Rachel would be disgusted at the idea of doing something like this. But for once, she's not. She just wanted one taste of Quinn and now she can't get enough of it. It wasn't bitter or unpleasant at all. It was unlike anything she's ever had before. It was so Quinn.

When she's finished lapping up every last drop, she grabs Quinn's member once again and moves her mouth to lightly suckle on the tip.

Quinn hisses and sits up suddenly.

"Baby," she laughs. "I don't think I'll be able to go again."

Rachel frowns and reluctantly releases her. She then looks up and asks, "Are you sure?"

Sensing a hint of disappointment, Quinn pulls the older woman up to lay next to her. "You can do that next time. I'm just really tired."

"I know. It's okay." Rachel places her lips to Quinn's cheek. "It's late. We should probably go to sleep anyway."

The younger girl nods and wraps her arm around Rachel's shoulders. "Good night, beautiful."

Rachel smiles and rests her head on her chest. "Good night."

After a few minutes, Quinn is already fast asleep again. Rachel sighs and places a light kiss against her chest before whispering, "I love you."

* * *

The next morning, Rachel feels shifting underneath her and slowly opens her eyes. She blinks and realizes that she's still laying with Quinn, naked. She then looks up to see that the girl is already awake.

"Hey," she smiles.

"Hey yourself."

She moves up to leave a sweet peck on Quinn's lips and cuddles into her side.

"Did you sleep okay?" she asks.

"Mhmm," Quinn answers. "You?"

"Better than I have in a long time."

"Me too. But we should probably get up and get dressed soon."

Rachel wraps her arm around Quinn's waist and holds her tight. "No we don't," she says playfully.

Quinn chuckles and relents, not really wanting to get up either.

The two lay there for a few minutes in blissful silence until Quinn speaks.

"We didn't really get a chance to talk when I got back. Did you get to do anything while I was gone?" she asks.

Rachel freezes, suddenly remembering that she had something important to tell Quinn. "Judy came by the other day."

Judging by the tone of her voice, Quinn can sense that something is wrong. She frowns, "What happened?"

Not wanting to beat around the bush, Rachel says, "She's concerned that something's wrong and thinks that you're hiding things from her."

Quinn becomes nervous. "Things? Did she say what?"

Rachel shakes her head, "No. I told her that you probably just have a lot on your mind with school and work and whatnot. And she agreed with me. But still, don't be surprised if it's brought up again. I have a feeling it will be."

"Do you think she knows what's going on with us?"

"I don't think so. If she did then it wouldn't take long for us to find out."

Quinn can tell that Rachel is scared too.

"Hey, it's okay. She's not going to find out about this."

"Quinn, that's another thing that I wanted to talk to you about. She's going to have to know about us sooner or later. Not right now, but eventually," Rachel says as she sits up.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I don't want to keep going on like you're some dirty little secret. Because you're not. I am your girlfriend and I want a future with you that doesn't involve hiding all the time."

Quinn can't help but grin, "Girlfriend, huh?"

"Really? That's all you got out of that?" Rachel smiles and and leans down to kiss her.

"I just didn't know I had a girlfriend title now."

"Well, of course. I don't plan on seeing anyone else. And I sure as hell hope that you don't either."

"No!" Quinn shakes her head. "I'm not. I just like that you're saying out loud that you're my girlfriend. It's nice."

Rachel smiles and lays back down next to her. Quinn turns on her side and takes the woman's hand in hers to lace their fingers together.

"And I get where you're coming from about my mom," she says. "I want a future with you too. But Rach, she's going to hate us. I just wish there was another way for this to work."

"You're her daughter, Quinn. No matter how mad she gets, she'll never hate you. However, my case might be different with her." She looks away and says, "I think she'll disown me for good."

Quinn reaches up to tuck a strand of hair behind the brunette's ear. "Rachel, I don't want you to lose someone close to you because of me. I don't want you to hurt because of me. If you want to end this, just tell me and I'll -"

Rachel instantly grabs her face and pulls her in for a deep kiss. Quinn tries to protest and pull away, but Rachel refuses to let go until the girl relaxes in her hold. When she finally does, she releases her and says, "Don't ever say that. You're not going anywhere. I know what I got myself into and I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't think you were worth it."

"I know," Quinn sighs. "Me too. I'm being stupid. I'm sorry."

"The only thing that you'll have to be sorry about is getting yourself stuck with a cranky old woman like me," she jokes.

Quinn scoffs, "Rach, you're never cranky about anything. And you're not even that old."

"I resent that."

"You know what I mean."

"Shut up and kiss me."

She wastes no time and attaches her lips to Rachel's, their mouths moving together in perfect synch.

After a moment, Rachel pulls away and asks, "You said you had something to tell me?"

Quinn frowns, "What?

"You said that when you got back you had to tell me something."

After thinking back, Quinn suddenly remembers. "Oh! That's right! You remember how I told you that Brittany was leaving for California soon?"

"Brittany, the girl that Santana is in love with or whatever?"

"Yeah, that one. But anyway, she asked Santana to go with her. And Santana is up in the air about it right now. But I think she's going to do it."

"So Santana is probably moving to California soon? Are you okay with that?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, given she's your best friend and all..."

"I know, that sucks. But I'll be fine because I think this could be really good for her. To finally take a chance and do something with her life. She's even looking into all the schools she could go to down there."

Rachel smiles, "You seem happy for her."

"Because I am."

"And what about you? Do you know what you're going to do with your life yet?" Rachel remembers the other thing that she wanted to talk to Quinn about.

The girl shrugs, "My plan so far is to just go to college and see what happens."

"But you don't know what you want to do after that? What you're gonna do or where you're gonna live? Or did you want to stay in Lima forever?"

The girl looks away, slightly embarrassed. "I don't know, Rach. I honestly don't know what I'm going to do. Like, it's slowly coming together I guess. But I don't have all the answers right now."

"Hey, look at me," Rachel turns Quinn's head to face her. "Don't worry, my love. I don't think any less of you for not knowing. I'm still trying to figure out what I'm going to do with my own life too. If anything, I should be the one that's embarrassed. But I'm hoping that maybe we can both find our way together?"

Quinn smiles, "That sounds perfect."

"Good. And I know that I'm older and I've already experienced a lot more in life. But that doesn't put me ahead of you or anyone else, Quinn."

"Self righteous much?"

"Oh, hush you," Rachel swats at her arm.

"I'm kidding. You're a wonderful person, Rach. I'm so lucky to have you."

"I feel like I'm the lucky one."

Before Quinn can argue, her phone goes off from the nightstand with a new text message. Rachel reaches over and grabs it for her.

"Thank you," Quinn says as she takes it. She then opens the message and smiles.

**Santana: I think I'm gonna do it...**

"What is it?" Rachel asks.

"Guess I was right about Santana," Quinn answers as she types out a reply. "She says she's probably going with Brittany after all."

"That's good for her. But that means she's probably leaving soon, right?"

"Yeah," she smiles sadly. "Soon."

Rachel knows that it's probably going to be hard for Quinn and wants to help her as much as she can.

"Hey, we're both free tomorrow, right? If you want, we can invite her and Brittany and Puck over here for a get together? Like a pool thing?"

"Yeah, that sounds fun. And Puck can barbecue, one of the few things he's good for," she laughs. "But only if you're sure that you're okay with them coming over."

"Of course I am. I told you I'm not going to ever keep you from your friends."

"You're sweet."

"No, I'm just crazy about you," she smiles and presses a kiss to Quinn's forehead. "Now let's get dressed and go do something. It's a nice day and I don't want to be cooped up in the house."

"Yes ma'am," Quinn says as she shamelessly watches Rachel get up and walk across the room naked.

Rachel sees her watching and laughs before picking up the boxer briefs from the floor and tossing them at her.

"Quinn! Come on!"


	12. Chapter 12

Rachel slowly drifts awake from her afternoon nap with Quinn. The two women had decided to rest together and ended up falling asleep a little longer than intended. And judging by the time on the clock, Quinn's friends would be here soon.

She glances at the sleeping girl and smiles. She looks so adorable and it makes Rachel reach up to ruffle her hair a little bit.

She jumps when Quinn's phone vibrates on the night stand a few times.

Curiosity getting the best of her, she grabs the phone to see some missed text messages.

**Santana: Will Rachel be pissed if I bring beer over?**

**Santana: Too late. I'm doing it. If she gets mad then just give her some afternoon delight.**

She snorts out loud and quickly covers her mouth. She then opens the next message.

**Puck: Is it cool if I bring Kitty over**?

Did Puck get a new cat? Why would he want to bring it over for swimming?

**Puck: Okay well I wanna get laid tonight so she's coming. Hope it's okay with you! We're at the store getting the food now.**

It sounds like this Kitty is probably a person. At least she hopes so...

Rachel suddenly scowls when she sees the next person that messaged Quinn.

**Marley: Hey! Haven't heard from you in a couple days. Kitty says she's hanging out with you and Puck today. Hope you guys have fun and hope to see you again soon :)**

Seriously? Who does this girl think she is? She hopes to see Quinn soon? No fucking way. Not on her watch.

It's clear that she has a thing for Quinn even though she knows that she's with Rachel. It's completely tacky to pursue someone in a relationship. Not to mention desperate and -

"What are you doing?"

Rachel shrieks and drops the phone on the bed. She quickly fumbles to pick it back up.

"Nothing! Sorry. Your phone was going off and I was checking your messages for you," she says weakly.

Quinn chuckles at her reaction and sits up, "Oh really? Anything interesting?"

She shrugs, "Santana said she's bringing beer. And Puck said he's bringing a...Kitty over?"

"He's bringing that Kitty girl?" Quinn groans. "So much for swimming."

Rachel frowns, "What do you mean?"

"I don't really know her. So I can't exactly wear swimming attire," the girl gives a knowing look.

"Oh, that's right. I'll sit out with you if you want."

"Are you sure?"

"Definitely," Rachel smiles. "I don't care what we're doing as long as I'm close to you."

A loud knock resounds at the front door and both women look at each other.

"Guess they're here. Let's see what happens," Quinn sighs.

She goes to open the front door only to be nearly trampled in the threshold as all of her friends crowd in at once.

"Hi Quinn," Britanny greets her with a kiss on the cheek and keeps walking.

"Hey Q-tip," Santana smirks and also passes her with a pack of beer in her hands. Rachel is standing right behind Quinn and is greeted with a nod.

Puck comes in next with a bag of groceries and ignores Quinn altogether. "Hey Rachel. You have a grill out back, right?"

Rachel smiles, "Yes! And thank you, Puck."

"Anytime."

He makes his way to the back of the house. Quinn watches as Kitty trudges up the driveway and moves past them to catch up to him. "Puck! Why the hell am I carrying this ice chest?"

Quinn closes the door and turns to Rachel. "That's Kitty, by the way."

"I gathered that much. She looks like a mini version of you with Santana's personality. It's a little unnerving," she chuckles.

The younger girl shakes her head and smiles, "Let's go see what they're up to."

They go into the back to see Puck at the grill, Kitty sitting on a pool chair with her phone out, and Santana and Brittany in the middle of another make out session.

"Guys, can you not?" Quinn asks as she sits down on the chair next to them while Rachel takes the chair next to hers.

She hears Santana mumbling something in Spanish under her breath and chooses to ignore it.

"Thanks for letting us come over, Rachel," Brittany says.

"It's no problem at all," she smiles sweetly back at the girl.

The blonde stands to pull her top off and reaches into her bag to grab a bottle of sunblock. "San, can you put some on my back?"

"Sure thing."

Santana starts doing so and both girls seem to be getting lost in their own world again.

Quinn clears her throat, "So how've you been doing, Kitty?"

The other girl sets her phone down and shrugs, "Good, I guess. Still with Puck, as you can see."

"Yeah, that's cool."

"I guess so. Oh, and Marley hasn't shut up about you since that party."

Santana doesn't miss the murderous glare that Rachel gives for a brief moment. She leans forward in her seat with excitement. This should be good...

Quinn doesn't miss it either and swallows nervously, "Oh?"

"Yeah, she goes on and on about how amazing you are. No offense, but it gets annoying after a while. I thought you guys were gonna go out or something?"

"I thought Quinn was just gonna give it to her really good," Puck calls out from the grill.

"Hey! That's my friend you're talking about," Kitty scolds.

Santana has to bite her lip to keep from laughing at how wide Rachel's eyes just became.

"Um, can we stop? My aunt is right here," Quinn blushes. "Sorry Rachel."

"It's fine, Quinn. I was a teenager once too," she says with sarcasm that only Quinn can detect.

"See? Rachel doesn't mind. So come on, Quinn. When are you gonna give it to Marley?" Santana smiles.

"Lord knows she needs it," Kitty murmurs.

"I'm not going to!" Quinn is becoming frustrated.

"What's going on?" Brittany frowns.

"Nothing!"

"Whoa, calm down Quinn," Puck says. "Anyway, the burgers are ready."

"Great," Kitty jumps up from her seat. "I'm starving."

"Me too!" Brittany is quick to follow.

Rachel, feeling uncomfortable, stands and feigns illness. "I'm actually not feeling too good. I think I'm gonna go lay down for a while."

"You sure?" Puck frowns. "Maybe eating will make you feel better?"

She shakes her head and walks to the back door, "I don't think so. But thank you."

"Let me know if you need anything," Quinn tells her.

Rachel waves her off and disappears into the house.

Fuming, Quinn turns to her best friend and whispers, "What the hell is your problem? Why do you have to be so terrible?"

"Hey, chill out. You know I just like to mess with you."

"You really think this is funny?"

"Actually it was pretty hilarious."

"Santana! For once can you stop being such a scheming bitch? Rachel already hates Marley and this is only making it worse. Not to mention, we're doing this whole thing for you and Brittany. And you seriously have the nerve to pull this shit?"

"Okay! I'm sorry, Quinn. Look, I'll apologize to her later. Before we leave, okay?"

"Fine. And make sure it's not half assed."

"Whatever."

The other three sit down next to them with their plates in their hands.

"Here, I got one for you," Brittany says to Santana.

"You not gonna eat, Q?" Puck asks.

She shakes her head, "Maybe later. I think I should go check in Rachel." She stands up and heads back to the house. "She didn't look so well," she says pointedly to Santana.

Puck nods, "Yeah, good idea."

Quinn closes the back door behind her and walks to Rachel's bedroom.

She opens the door to see the woman lying down with her back towards her.

"Rachel," she says softly as she closes the door behind her and locks it. She sits down on the bed and gently touches her shoulder, "You okay?"

Rachel turns over to look at her and sits up with a small smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. I was just a little uncomfortable, so I came inside."

"I know. I'm sorry that Santana is such a bitch. She said she's going to apologize to you later."

"She doesn't have to," Rachel stands and runs a hand through her hair. "It's silly for me to be upset because I know you wouldn't do anything with anyone else. So let's just go back out there and -"

"Rachel, wait." Quinn grabs the woman's hand and gently pulls her down to sit next to her on the bed. "Please don't just sweep it under the rug. I don't want us to be like that. You can always tell me how you feel."

"Okay." Rachel leans in to capture her lips. "It's just, the idea of you with anyone else makes me so crazy."

"I know, Rach."

She moves her hand slowly up and down Quinn's thigh.

"Thinking of someone else touching you like this...just, no. You're mine. I know I shouldn't say that. But I can't help it. You're mine and only mine."

"It's okay. You know I'm yours, baby."

Quinn swallows when small hands start undoing her shorts. She lifts her hips and gasps when her shorts and boxers are pulled down at the same time, exposing her cock to the cool air in the room.

"They said you should have given it to her. Were you going to give her this?" Rachel asks as she slowly strokes her shaft and presses a kiss to Quinn's neck. The blonde feels her dick harden under Rachel's touch.

"Ah! No, never," she breathes out. "It's only for you now."

Rachel nods, "Good." She then pulls the blonde's shirt off of her torso and tosses it on the floor. She looks the girl up and down and says, "Fuck, you're so hot."

She drops down to her knees and nudges Quinn's legs apart to settle between them. She quickly sheds off her own shirt and bra.

"What are you doing?"

She gives Quinn a sultry look before resuming with pumping the girl slowly. "Sucking you off. Is that a problem?"

"No!" Quinn shakes her head.

"That's what I thought."

She keeps her hold on the base and leans her head forward to place an open mouthed kiss against the side of her member, smirking when it twitches beneath her.

"Oh shit," Quinn mumbles.

Rachel repeats the action up and down the length and watches in awe as precum starts appearing. She makes a show out of sticking out her tongue and slowly licking it up.

"Mm, I love that," she murmurs and it makes Quinn whimper.

She licks her lips before slowly running her tongue along the underside of Quinn's cock, from the base all the way to the head. She then wraps her lips around the tip and swirls her tongue over it.

"Baby, that feels so good," Quinn moans.

Feeling more confident, Rachel takes a few inches into her mouth and bobs her head several times while jerking the rest of it with her hand.

"Mmm," Rachel hums. Quinn can feel the vibration from her throat and she feels like she's in heaven now.

The older woman bobs her head further down until the girl's cock is completely sheathed in her mouth. She keeps her mouth still at the base for as long as she can.

"Oh god!" Quinn cries out.

Finally needing to take a breath, Rachel releases her with a pop and gasps for air. Her lip are swollen and her eyes are dilated.

Lubed up from her saliva, Rachel rapidly jerks the shaft and lightly sucks on one of Quinn's balls.

"Shit, baby! So fucking good..."

If Quinn didn't think that was hot enough, she nearly loses it when Rachel looks up to lock eyes with her. Only she can manage to look so sexy and innocent at the same time.

"Stand up, Quinn."

Quinn doesn't stop to think. She just does what she's told and stands.

She looks down at Rachel with a questioning gaze. The woman simply keeps her hands down at her sides and runs her tongue across the tip again with a pleading look on her face, too timid to say what she wants.

Suddenly understanding, Quinn takes a hold of her cock and guides it to her mouth, but not before gently caressing Rachel's cheek.

"Just nudge me if you want me to stop, and I promise I will. Okay?" she asks softly.

Brown eyes stare back at her with so much trust and need. "Okay," Rachel nods.

With that, she runs a hand over the back of Rachel's head and eases herself into her waiting mouth. She stops when her length is halfway in, then pulls back out, and slowly repeats over and over.

"You okay, baby?"

Since she can't answer, Rachel runs her hands up the back of Quinn's thighs, and firmly squeezes her ass to urge her to keep going.

Quinn doesn't push in any further, but instead, bucks her hips faster. She keeps her hold on Rachel's head while the woman continues to stare up at her with those big, doe eyes.

Rachel places her hand against Quinn's hips, causing the girl to immediately stop. But instead of pulling away, she pushes her head forward to take all of the length down her throat once again. When she does, she stares back up at Quinn.

The girl wastes no time and relentlessly thrusts into Rachel's eager mouth. She watches as every inch disappears each time she pushes in and feels like the view alone could make her cum at any second.

"God, Rachel. You're so fucking amazing."

Rachel hums again and the feeling makes Quinn cry out. She fists both hands into dark hair and keeps going.

"I can't believe you're taking all of my cock like this. Your mouth feels so great. No one else could make me feel like this. No one."

It makes Rachel's heart flutter. And then she remembers that she's deep throating right now and focuses on her breathing. Only Quinn...

"Rach, I'm about to cum," the blonde says as she stops thrusting and eases her way out of her mouth.

Rachel leans back and opens her mouth wide with the tip of Quinn's cock still lingering inside. She then pumps her shaft as fast as her hand will allow her.

Quinn grunts at the familiar feeling of her balls tightening again. She's right there...

"Rachel," she moans before spilling her release.

The older woman feels the warm liquid pouring into her mouth and along her chin. She quickly swallows and opens her mouth wide again to catch the rest of the cum shooting out of Quinn.

"Oh f-fuck...baby! Ah!"

The girl is reduced to a quivering mess as she rides out her orgasm. When Rachel thinks she's finally done, she gently strokes her a few more times before finally letting go.

When Quinn finally opens her eyes, she's met with the sight of Rachel staring up on her. Drips of cum are splattered along her chin.

Groaning, Quinn reaches down to wipe it off with her thumb and gasps when Rachel pulls the thumb into her mouth and sucks it clean.

"Was it good for you?" Rachel smirks. "I know I definitely enjoyed it."

Quinn pulls her up to meet her in a hungry kiss.

"That was the best orgasm I've ever had," she says as she pulls away. "So far."

"I'm sure I can top that," Rachel grins mischievously.

"I'm sure you can." Quinn reaches down to massage Rachel's aching pussy through her shorts. "Can I return the favor now?"

Rachel pouts and stills her hand, "I wish you could. But we've been in here for a while and your friends are still outside."

Oh shit. Quinn forgot about them.

"You're right," she says as she quickly gets dressed. Rachel puts her shirt back on and smooths it out.

"Do I look okay?" Quinn asks, knowing that her appearance is probably disheveled.

"You look like you've just had your cock sucked," Rachel chuckles.

"Rachel!"

"Shh," she presses her lips to the blonde's. "It'll be fine. Now let's go back out there."

When they get back outside, all four of the others are in the swimming pool laughing together. Puck is the first one to notice them.

"Hey guys! You feeling better now, Rachel?"

The woman nods with a smile and settles down on one of the pool chairs. Luckily, Brittany and Kitty seem completely oblivious to them.

Quinn sits down next to her and rolls her eyes at the knowing smirk Santana is giving them right now.

"Wanky..." the girl mouths.

* * *

But the time all of the others have packed everything and left Quinn and Rachel alone, it's already five o'clock.

Quinn closes the door behind them and turns around to see Rachel standing right next to her. She pulls the smaller woman into her body and holds her for a moment.

She's almost afraid to ask. "Was Santana nice when she talked to you?"

"Hmm," Rachel breathes against her chest. "I'd say so. It was awkward. But I know she was genuininely sorry."

"That's good."

"Mhmm."

Quinn tries to pull away, but Rachel squeezes tighter and doesn't let her move. The blonde smiles and stays right there.

"I like you a lot."

"I like you a lot too," Quinn chuckles.

"You better."

She kisses the top of her head and smiles to herself. This woman is amazing and deserves to be treated as such.

"Rach, can I ask you something?"

Rachel frowns and tilts her head back to look at her. "Okay?"

"Go on a date with me?"

"A date?"

"Yeah. I mean, we've been seeing each other like this for about a month. And I haven't taken you out on a date yet. So, will you? Tonight?"

"Tonight?" Rachel grins. "Where are we going?"

"I'll figure it out." Quinn pecks her on the lips. "But go get ready. I'll pick you up at seven?"

The older woman beams, "Seven sounds good."

"Okay," Quinn finally pulls away. "I'll see you then."

She turns to the front door but is stopped when Rachel grabs her hand and turns her around. Their lips are connected in a deep kiss and Quinn feels her mind becoming hazy.

When they break apart, Rachel whispers into her ear, "I can't wait."


	13. Chapter 13

As soon as she gets to her house, Quinn sprints up the stairs to her room and throws open her closet door. She quickly shuffles through all of her clothes and looks for the nicest dresses she owns.

After finding a few candidates, she lays them out on the bed and contemplates which one to wear.

She knows that she could probably go in something as ridiculous as a toga and Rachel wouldn't care. But she wants tonight to be special.

She settles for a light blue sundress that was the same color as the one she went to junior prom in. At least she knows she has matching flats that go along with it.

Satisfied with her choice, Quinn rushes to the bathroom to work on her makeup. She sorts through the bag to find what she needs.

As she's applying foundation, her phone goes off with a new text message.

**Rachel: I can't decide what to wear! Help :(**

She smiles. At least she wasn't the only one worried about how she looks.

**Quinn: Doesn't have to be too formal or anything. Wear whatever you want. You're going to look great :)**

**Rachel: Even if I just wear overalls and a wife beater? :p**

Quinn laughs.

**Quinn: Rach, the 90's ended a long time ago. But if you want to then I won't care.**

**Rachel: I know. I just want to look pretty for you.**

**Quinn: You're beautiful no matter what. Now hurry up and get ready!**

**Rachel: Okay! I'm going!**

Quinn puts the phone down and gets back to her makeup.

After she finishes, she turns on her curling iron before her phone goes off again. She frowns and takes a look at it.

**Marley: Hey Quinn. I know this is kind of strange but I wanted to ask you something. And it's not really something you can talk about through text message and I don't want you to freak out...so can you call me when you have some free time?**

She types out a reply to the girl.

**Quinn: I'm actually kind of busy for the rest of the night. But if you want, you can meet me during my break at work tomorrow night? I work at the Lima Bean.**

**Marley: Okay, I know where that is.**

**Quinn: Great! See you there.**

She sets the phone back down on the sink. Whatever Marley wants would have to wait for now. She doesn't want to think about anything besides Rachel...

* * *

When she's finally finished with her hair and dressed, Quinn applies a layer of lipstick. She looks over her appearance in the mirror one last time and taking a breath, she nods at herself.

She grabs her purse and turns off the bedroom light. When she runs down the stairs and turns the corner, she wasn't expecting to see someone sitting in the living room.

"Dad!" she clutches her chest. "You scared me!"

Russell chuckles and grabs the remote to turn down the tv volume. "Sorry kiddo. I got the night off, but you're mom is stuck at work. You going out?"

"Yeah." She gestures to the front door, "I was just leaving actually."

He takes in her attire and furrows his brow, "You got a date or something?"

"Um." Shit. "Yeah. Sorta."

Fuck. Why did she say that?

Her father smiles, "That's great! When do we get to meet them? I'm guessing it's a her?"

"Uh, well actually, it's a little too soon for that. But maybe one day? That is, if it works out." She clasps her hands together behind her back to keep them from shaking with how anxious she is right now. "I mean, it's too soon to be meeting the parents. No offense."

"Oh, that's probably a good idea. Wouldn't want to scare her off. Knowing your mom, she'll start going on about weddings and grandchildren and all that."

Quinn laughs nervously. She seriously doubts that...

Russell stands up from the couch and walks over to her, "Well anyway, I'll be going to bed early tonight. So I'll see you when I see you. Don't be such a stranger all the time."

He pulls her into a hug which she returns.

"And good luck with your date. If she's lucky enough to be going out with you, then she must be amazing," he smiles.

"She is," Quinn agrees.

"That's good. I'll let you get to it then. Have fun and be careful, sweetie."

"I will." She leans up to kiss his cheek. "Bye dad."

* * *

Talking to Russell had made Quinn a few minutes late. So after she pulls her car in front of Rachel's house, she quickly jogs up the driveway and rings the doorbell.

The door swings open within a few seconds.

"You're late," Rachel says with a serious expression.

Quinn stifles a laugh, "Were you really just waiting by the d-"

She's silenced when Rachel attacks her lips in a frenzy. So much for the lipstick...

Before she even has a chance to return the kiss, Rachel pulls away. "You're a little late. But you look delicious. So I'll let it slide," she smirks.

Quinn shakes her head and closes the door. "Sorry. I just got caught up talking to my dad."

"It's okay, Quinn." Rachel looks her up and down and smiles, "And you look gorgeous by the way. As always."

"So do you."

And she did. Rachel was wearing a simple purple dress that somehow complimented Quinn's perfectly.

The younger girl takes her hand and says, "Come on, beautiful."

Rachel blushes and allows herself to be led to the car. She thanks Quinn when she opens the door for her and settles in her seat.

When Quinn comes in on the driver's side, Rachel asks, "So, where are we going?"

"To Breadstix," Quinn says casually as she starts the car.

Rachel frowns, but immediately tries to hide it. "Oh! Okay. Um, that sounds good I guess."

"Yeah, I still have a coupon that I need to use before it expires next month."

The older woman gapes at her.

"Hey, relax. I'm kidding," Quinn smiles.

"You ass!" Rachel laughs and shoves her lightly.

"You really think that I'd take you on a date to the place you work at?"

"Well I would hope not."

"Don't worry." Quinn pulls the car out and starts driving. "We're going to this new place that just opened up downtown last week."

"I think I've heard of it! One of my coworkers was talking about how nice it was. It's by the plaza, right?"

"Yeah, that one," the blonde says.

"Oh, thank god! I mean, I don't care where we would have gone because I'm sure you would have made it special no matter what."

"You know I adore you. And I wanted to do something more elaborate for our first date, but this was the best I could do on short notice. I just want this night to be memorable."

"I'm sure it will be." Rachel takes Quinn's free hand and pulls it into her lap, lacing their fingers together. "I _know_ it will be."

When they get to the restaurant, they only have to wait a few minutes to get a table. Being that it was a Thursday night after all.

Rachel opts to sit in the chair next to Quinn rather than across from her. She wants to be as close to her love as she can get. And the low lighting in the restaurant will definitely make some heavy touching a lot easier...

"Good evening, ladies!" A tall waiter appears at their table. "My name is John and I'll be taking care of you. Miss...?"

"Rachel," she answers.

He turns to the other girl, "And you are?"

"I'm Quinn."

"Quinn! What a beautiful name," he smiles. "Can I get you started with something to drink?"

"A glass of Pinot noir for me," Rachel answers quickly.

The waiter nods and continues to gaze at Quinn, "And for you?"

"I'll just have a water, please."

"Just a water? Are you sure?"

Rachel didn't like the way this guy was leering at her girlfriend. But Quinn was probably the most beautiful girl in all of Lima. So she'll have to get used to people, both men and women, drooling over her all of the time.

"I'm sure. Thank you," Quinn says to him softly.

"Okay. I'll be right back with your drinks!"

When he turns away, Rachel asks, "You're not going to drink tonight?"

"Rachel, I'm eighteen. I couldn't order a drink here even if I wanted to."

"Right. I forget sometimes."

"And plus, I'm driving."

"Well aren't you the thoughtful one," Rachel giggles as she leans in closer.

"Well, we wouldn't want to get into an accident and scar that lovely face of yours," Quinn teases.

"That wouldn't be the worst thing," she laughs. "Then I could probably get my nose fixed for free."

"Oh shut up. Your nose is perfect."

"All right, here are your drinks." The waiter interrupts them to place their glasses on the table. "Were you both ready to order?"

"Oh! I haven't even looked at the menu yet," Rachel says as she quickly flips through it.

"I think we'll need a few minutes," Quinn smiles sweetly.

"Of course! Take your time. No rush." He winks before walking off again.

"He's completely ignoring me. I think he likes you," Rachel whispers.

"I think you're right," Quinn shrugs. "But he probably wouldn't be that into me if he knew what I was packing underneath this dress."

She smirks, "Should I tell him how much I love it when you drill my mouth with your cock?"

"Rachel!"

* * *

After they've finished their meals later in the evening, Rachel sips her third glass of wine and smiles at Quinn. The night has been filled with laughs and jokes for the most part. She's definitely enjoying herself.

The blonde notices a faint blush on her cheeks, probably from the wine, and asks, "Feeling good?"

"Mhmm." She scoots closer to the girl and leans her face on the palm of her hand. "I like being out with you."

"I'm glad."

She takes Quinn's hand in her own and runs the pad of her thumb over her fingers. "You're amazing, Quinn."

"Is there anything else I can get for you, ladies?"

Holy shit, Rachel wants to kill this waiter.

"Just the check please," Quinn asks politely.

"Sure thing!"

They watch as the man scurries off.

"Anyway," Quinn starts. "Thank you for coming out with me, Rach. I feel like I'm the luckiest person in the world right now."

"And I feel like that's not completely true," Rachel says as she brings her hand under the table to lightly scratch Quinn's knee.

Quinn smiles, "Really?"

"Of course."

"All right ladies, here's the check. You two have a wonderful night." He slides the check towards Quinn while throwing another wink at her. He doesn't leave until Rachel clears her throat.

"Can I please murder Waiter John now?" she asks when he's out of earshot.

Quinn chuckles and places some cash inside of the check book. "Don't let it ruin our night, baby."

"Believe me, I'm not."

She feels Rachel's hand creeping up her thigh and gasps, "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes!"

Rachel grabs ahold of her when they stand and makes sure that everyone can see their conjoined hands as they're walking out.

Once they're outside, the younger girl laughs, "Do you want me to wear a leash from now on?"

Rachel winces, "Sorry. I just feel a little insecure when it's obvious that people all around us are staring because they want you."

Quinn frowns as they stop at the car. She tilts Rachel's chin up and kisses her soundly.

"You don't have to worry. As far as I'm concerned, everyone else is invisible to me when you're around."

Both girls climb into the car and Rachel continues, "I know. It's silly, but I guess I'm still in disbelief."

Quinn turns to her, "Disbelief? Of what?"

"That you could have anyone you wanted. And yet, here you are with me."

"Rachel," she says softly. "Do you have any idea how happy I am that you're giving me a chance at all? I've never felt this way about anyone before. I want you and only you."

The woman smiles and leans in to kiss her again. "Baby?"

"Hmm?"

"Take me home."

* * *

When they pull in front of the house, Rachel unbuckles her seatbelt and turns to Quinn in confusion, "Aren't you coming in?"

"Inviting me in on the first date? How scandalous of you," Quinn smirks.

Rachel rolls her eyes and chuckles, "Come on. Our date's not over yet."

She gets out of the car and walks up to the door with Quinn right behind her.

Once inside, she heads straight to the kitchen and calls out, "Do you want some wine now?"

"Yes please," Quinn answers as she takes a seat on the couch. This scenario is all too familiar to her. But she smiles when she thinks about how different things are now.

Rachel emerges from the kitchen with two glasses of wine. She hands Quinn one and grabs the remote to turn on the tv.

"I'm just gonna put in some music."

Quinn nods and laughs when it automatically switches to the 90's station. "Nice."

_Gettin' Jiggy With It_ begins to fill the room.

"I guess this is fine. Whatever," Rachel shrugs and sits next to Quinn. "So..."

"So..." the girl copies. She doesn't know why she's so nervous right now.

Rachel takes a sip of her wine before setting it down. She leans into Quinn's side and starts playing with her necklace again. "I'm glad that you're here."

"So am I."

She leans down to place a soft kiss on Quinn's chest. "Thank you for taking me out. We'll go out more, right?"

"Of course." Quinn kisses the top of her head.

She's genuinely surprised that Rachel isn't afraid of them going out in public as a couple. Not that she's complaining. But she's gotten more than she could ever ask for out of the woman.

They continue to sit there in silence, just enjoying each other's presence.

The song switches over and _Fade Into You_ by Mazzy Star starts playing.

Rachel perks up, "Oh my god! I loved this song back when I was in like middle school."

Quinn smiles, "You're such a dork. But that's cute."

"Shut up. I remember they always played it at the school dances. I would get so excited when I heard it, but no one ever asked me to dance."

Frowning, Quinn stands up and looks down at Rachel, who seems confused. "Rachel, would you like to dance with me?" she asks as she holds out a hand. "So I can make up for all those idiots in middle school?"

The woman smiles and takes her hand. They move to the middle of the living room and Quinn wraps her arms around Rachel's waist as they begin to lightly sway together to the music.

Rachel leans her head on Quinn's shoulder and sighs, "You're perfect, you know that?"

"I'm hardly perfect, Rach."

"I know. But you are to me. Or at least _for_ me." She looks up to steal a quick kiss from the blonde.

"So are you," Quinn murmurs as they continue moving to the music.

"I'm really happy that we have this."

The blonde hums her agreement and closes her eyes as she gets lost in Rachel.

"And I still can't believe that I found this with my niece of all people," the woman chuckles.

And Quinn can't believe it either. She never imagined that she would fall in love with her aunt.

She takes a deep breath, "Rachel, I need to tell you something."

Rachel stops moving and steps back to look at her. Was that the wrong thing to say? "What's wrong?"

The blonde sighs, slightly afraid that Rachel doesn't feel the same yet. "There's just something I need to say because I can't really keep it in anymore. And I don't know how you're going to react."

The woman was starting to worry. Was Quinn about to end things with her?

"Baby, what is it?"

The blonde looks down and avoids eye contact. Rachel gently pulls her face up with both hands. "Quinn?"

"I love you," she blurts out.

Rachel blinks and drops her hands to her side. Quinn's not leaving her?

She stands there with her mouth agape, and it's not helping the younger girl's nerves.

"Rachel?"

"You scared me," the woman says suddenly.

"What?" Quinn frowns.

Rachel smiles, "I thought you were about to break up with me."

"Uh, no. I was just, you know, telling you...that I'm in love with you...yeah," she shifts from one foot to another. "So..."

"Oh Quinn." She wraps her arms around the girl's neck and brings their foreheads together. "I love you too. I love you so much."

"Yeah?"

"Of course I do. I've been wanting to tell you when the timing was perfect. But you beat me to it."

"Do you really? Or are you just trying to save me from embarrassment?" Quinn jokes with a smile.

Rachel rolls her eyes, "I'm serious. I've never been so sure about anyone like I am about you. Not even Finn. I'm so in love with you. And it kills me to think that one day you might not want me anymore." She pulls Quinn even closer and doesn't let her go.

"That's impossible. I know that I'm young and I haven't experienced that much in life. But I do know that I love you now and I always will. I promise."

She squeezes Quinn even tighter. She believes her and she feels that her heart could burst at any moment with how happy she is.

"And I know that our situation isn't ideal," the blonde continues. "But this is going to work. You're it for me, Rachel."

Rachel finally pulls away and looks up into those beautiful hazel eyes, "Am I?"

Quinn doesn't hesitate, "Yes."

She gently presses her lips to Quinn's before whispering in her ear, "So prove it."

"What?"

Rachel pulls back and smiles at the confused expression on her adorable face.

Instead of answering her, she takes Quinn by the hand and pulls her to the bedroom, which might as well be their bedroom by now.

The girl suddenly understand and feels a rush of excitement take over. As soon a they're next to the bed, she tilts her head down to take Rachel's lower lip between her own.

As their lips move together, she feels her dress being unzipped from behind and helps the woman out by shrugging it down her body and stepping out of it. She even saves Rachel the hassle of taking off her bra and does it herself.

With the light from the living room creating a dim glow in the bedroom, Rachel has no problem seeing Quinn's body. But she hardly has enough time to ogle before the girl attaches her lips to her pulse point and begins unzipping the dress that she was wearing.

She helps Quinn out as well and as they're taking it off together, _Sex And Candy_ can be heard from the living room and it makes both girls start cracking up.

"Really?" Quinn shakes her head.

Rachel just smiles and finishes pulling the dress off her body. She gasps when her bra is basically ripped off within seconds by an eager blonde.

The two women gaze at each other in nothing but their underwear. And with Rachel being one to never hold back, she's the first to slip herself out of the remaining garment.

Quinn raises her hands and allows Rachel to slide down her briefs. When they're off, she kicks them to the side.

"I'll never get over how attractive you are," the woman says as she drags her hands down Quinn's chest and stomach.

She stops when she hears _Baby Got Back_ start playing.

"Okay, that's enough of that," Rachel huffs before marching to the living room to turn off the tv. When she comes back, Quinn is still standing right where she left her.

"But that was my favorite song," the girl pouts.

"Yeah, right." She goes back to what she was doing and starts leaving a series of kisses over the top of Quinn's chest.

"Mm, and you do have a nice ass, baby," Quinn emphasizes her point by reaching behind and squeezing Rachel's cheeks firmly. She then moves her hands up and runs her nails across the woman's lower back.

When she feels goosebumps break out and Rachel shuddering against her, she asks, "Are you cold?"

"A little."

"Then let's get under the covers."

Rachel liked that idea. She definitely didn't mind getting horizontal with Quinn.

She lifts up the blanket and climbs into the bed with Quinn following right behind her. They turn to face each other and immediately embrace in a desperate kiss. Rachel lays on her back while Quinn props herself up with an elbow.

"Baby, touch me," Rachel demands as they continue with making out.

Quinn reaches down and presses her fingertips to the brunette's clit and lightly rubs circles over it.

Rachel moans and wraps her arms around Quinn's shoulders as the girl assaults her bundle of nerves. She then cries out when Quinn leans down to take a nipple into her mouth.

"Keep going," Rachel murmurs as she runs her hands through blonde hair.

She feels two fingers easily slip inside of her and throws her head back onto the pillow as they pump in and out. Feeling Quinn inside of her was definitely her new favorite thing. But she needed to feel even _more_ of her.

She gently pushes on Quinn's hips and shifts to widen her legs so that the girl can settle in between them. And when their bare sexes come into contact for the first time, Rachel knew this was going to be amazing.

She smiles up at Quinn and reaches down to gently take her member, which she wasn't surprised to find was already hard. She lovingly strokes it up and down.

"Fuck. Rach, wait," Quinn says suddenly.

Rachel frowns, "What's wrong?"

"I don't have any protection with me."

Oh. She forgot about that.

Thinking quickly, Rachel says, "I got tested right after I found out about Finn. I don't have anything. You don't either, right?"

Quinn shakes her head, "No. I've only done this with Santana. And we used a condom every single time."

Rachel nods. That's good enough for her. She gets back to touching Quinn.

"No wait. Rachel, I can still get you pregnant..."

She finally understands as this new information comes to light. While she's incredibly happy to know that she can have a child with Quinn one day, this doesn't help them at all right now...

"Oh," is all she can say.

Quinn begins to pull back, "I can run out to buy some and -"

Rachel quickly shakes her head and cups her face between her hands. She can't wait anymore. She needs Quinn right now.

"No. You're not going anywhere. Can you pull out?"

"Of course." Quinn would do anything that she asked. "But are you sure about this?"

"I trust you." She kisses the blonde. "And I love you. Now I want you to make love to me, okay?"

"Okay. I love you too."

She settles back down on top of Rachel and reaches down to guide her cock to her opening. She then drags the tip up and down her slit to make sure that she's wet enough to take her.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes baby."

They take one last look into each other's eyes before Quinn pushes the head inside. She feels Rachel grip her backside tighter and keeps going. When she pushes in a few inches, she watches the woman's face as her eyes squeeze shut and her mouth drops open. And in one more push, she's completely submerged in Rachel's warmth.

"Oh god," the woman below her whimpers, making Quinn stay completely still.

"Am I hurting you?" she asks with concern.

Rachel opens her eyes and shakes her head, "No. I just feel so full."

Quinn leans down to kiss her as she pulls her rigid cock almost completely out, only to push back in all the way.

"Fuck, Rachel. You're so tight," she moans as she continues to slowly thrust into her. She braces her elbows on either side of Rachel's head. "And you feel so good."

"So do you," Rachel says as she drags her nails up and down Quinn's back. She moves her hips with the blonde's as their pace increases.

She pulls Quinn's head down to rest in the crook of her neck and gently holds her there. She can feel every inch of her and she's never felt so loved before.

"I love you, Quinn."

"I love you too," Quinn whispers into her shoulder. "So much."

She pumps her cock into Rachel even faster and knows that they're both close. She just has to make sure Rachel gets off first.

She shifts her hips so that she's fucking her at a slightly different angle.

"Oh fuck! Yes, right there baby..."

Quinn smirks. Guess she found that particular spot inside of Rachel.

"Please don't stop."

"I'm not stopping, my love."

She brings her head back up to kiss Rachel again. But when she tries to pull away, the woman stops her by holding her face in place and keeping their lips together. Quinn is happy to do so.

She wraps her arms around Rachel's lower back and thrust into her in a frenzied pace. And every moan and cry that they're letting out means that it's worth it.

"Fuck! Baby!"

Rachel arches into her and Quinn can feel her walls tightening around her. She's so ready to cum right inside of her, but fights against it with everything she has.

"Quinn!" Rachel screams.

Her pussy has Quinn in a chokehold, but the blonde still relentlessly pumps into her. She can feel the wetness gushing all over her cock and she whimpers at the feeling.

"Mm...Quinn," the brunette breathes out.

After what seems like forever, Rachel is finally coming down from her high. When she knows that the woman's orgasm has subsided, Quinn immediately pulls herself out and wraps her hand around her shaft to jerk herself off.

It only takes a few strokes before she cums.

"Ah, fuck. Rachel..." she moans.

Rachel lightly grazes her sides as she feels Quinn's warm liquid spilling all over the top of her pussy and lower stomach. "That's it baby. Cum all over me."

She couldn't wait until they'd be able to do this again, but with Quinn releasing inside of her.

When Quinn feels like she's completely emptied herself, she rolls off of the brunette and to the side to gasp for air, completely spent.

After she's finally caught her breath, she quickly leans over to grab a tissue from the box on the night stand.

"Shit, sorry baby..." she apologizes as she cleans up all of her cum from Rachel's body.

"It's okay," the woman chuckles.

When she's finished, Quinn balls the tissue up and tosses it on the floor.

"Come here," Rachel pulls the blonde back on top of her for a deep kiss. "That was perfect," she smiles. She then reaches up to run her fingers over her jawline.

Quinn leans into the touch. "Yeah, it was." She presses a kiss to Rachel's forehead. "I love you. And I don't think I'll ever stop saying it now."

"Good. Because I don't want you to," Rachel whispers.

They move to lay on their sides again and she nuzzles into Quinn's chest as the girl holds her. She kisses her on the collarbone. "I think you're stuck with me forever now," she mumbles.

Quinn yawns, "You make it sound like it's a bad thing."

"No," Rachel giggles. "With you, it's never a bad thing."

"Good," the blonde closes her eyes as she starts to drift off.

Rachel kisses her one last time and whispers, "You're going to make me so happy."

Quinn smiles, "So are you."


	14. Chapter 14

As Rachel begins to awaken from her deep slumber, she pats the space next to her on the bed...only to feel nothing.

"Quinn?" she grumbles.

When there's no answer, she lifts her head from the pillow and slowly opens her eyes. The blonde isn't anywhere in her view and it causes Rachel to rapidly sit up.

However, her worries are short-lived when she hears the shower turning on. She probably thought Rachel wouldn't notice if she got up.

She smiles to herself when she thinks about the previous night with the girl in the bathroom. _Her_ girl. Her love.

Rachel quickly gets up from the bed and quietly enters the bathroom. Not having to worry about shedding clothes since she was already naked, she peeks in the shower to see Quinn with her back towards her. She then carefully steps in as silently as she can.

She suddenly wraps her arms around Quinn's waist, startling the girl for a brief moment before she realizes that it's Rachel and lets out a sigh of relief.

"Hey you," she says.

Rachel presses her lips to Quinn's shoulder. "I can't believe you got up without me," she teases.

The blonde turns around in her arms and smiles at her, "You just looked so comfortable sleeping."

"For a second, I thought you left."

"Really Rachel?" Quinn laughs. "You're ridiculous."

"To think that you would take off after having your wicked way with me?" she smirks. She knows that they're only kidding, and she's glad that they can joke around like this.

"Maybe I'll have better luck sneaking out next time," Quinn murmurs as she tilts her head down to capture her lips.

After they pull apart, Rachel quips back, "Well if that's the case, then you won't be leaving my sight again."

"Is that so?"

"Mhmm. I'll chain you to the bed if I have to." She brings her arms up to wrap around Quinn's neck. "You'll be my love slave for the next fifty years."

Quinn runs her hands up and down the brunette's back. "That doesn't sound too bad. Will I still be able to sleep and eat?"

"You'll sleep when I let you. And you can eat me."

"Rachel!"

She snorts and buries her face in the girl's neck. "You're so cute."

Rolling her eyes, Quinn pulls Rachel even closer to her body. She presses a kiss to the top of her head. "And you're beautiful. Even with your dirty mouth and everything."

She smiles when Rachel huffs against her neck, probably in protest.

"I love you," she says softly.

The older woman pulls back to look at her and grins, "I love you too." She cups Quinn's face and pulls her in for another kiss.

She gasps when a pair of hands sneak down to palm her ass.

"Baby," she laughs as she pulls away. "If we start that now, we'll never get out of here. And I want to spend some time with you today outside of the bedroom."

"I guess so," Quinn pouts.

Rachel pushes the wet hair out of the girl's face, "You're adorable, you know that?"

"If you say so," she smiles.

"I do." Rachel steps away and grabs the shampoo bottle, "Now let's get ready for the day."

* * *

Their "day together" had mainly consisted of walking around the park for about an hour. Then cuddling together on the couch, which involved just a little groping, only to be followed by a long nap.

And much to Quinn's annoyance, it was time to go back to work.

Since Rachel had the night off from Breadstix, she agreed to drop Quinn off in the blonde's car and to pick her up when she was off.

And the night ended up going fast for Quinn.

It was only five minutes until closing time and she was already sweeping and wiping down tables so that she could leave sooner. The other person closing with her called in, leaving her to close the coffee shop down by herself. But whatever. At least there's no one to slow her down.

She had already sent a text to Rachel that she was almost done.

She internally groans when she hears the door opening. She had already cleaned the coffee machines, which probably wasn't the smartest idea. Why do some idiots wait until right before a place closes to stop by?

"I'll be with you in a second," she calls out as she wipes down the last table in the far corner.

"No worries. Take your time," a familiar voice answers.

Quinn stops what she's doing and looks up. "Oh my god, Marley! I'm so sorry I forgot to text you!" she says as she drops the rage and walks towards the girl.

"Don't worry about it, I figured you were busy. And I thought I might catch you before you leave. Is this a bad time?"

"No! I'm done with everything." She looks at her watch to see that it's exactly ten o'clock. "Just give me a second. You can sit down wherever."

She grabs the keys from behind the counter and quickly locks the front doors so she doesn't have to deal with anymore stupid customers trying to order after closing time.

She turns to see Marley sitting at a table and goes to slide in the seat across from her.

"Hey," she smiles.

"How long have you worked here?" Marley asks as she looks around the place. "I hardly ever come here."

Quinn frowns, "About a month now."

"Do you like it?"

"It's all right," she shrugs. "The tips are good so I can't really complain. What about you? Do you work anywhere?"

"Mhmm, I just started at this small bookstore by the university. It's mainly used books that people sell for some quick cash."

"Nice," she smiles. "I love books."

Quinn wants to facepalm so hard right now. Really, Quinn? 'I love books'?

She clears her throat, "Anyway, you said you needed to talk to me about something?"

Marley starts shifting nervously in her seat, "Um, yeah. I'm just not sure exactly how to bring it up."

"It's fine. You can tell me," she smiles reassuringly.

The other girl blows out a puff of air, "Okay. I know this isn't really any of my business. But it's just really strange to me and I have to ask you."

"Okay?" Quinn furrows her brow.

"So of course Kitty told me that she hung out with all of you guys, right?"

"Yeah?"

"Okay, well she said that you were all at your aunt's house."

Quinn feels her heart start to sink. Oh no...

"And she mentioned your aunt was named Rachel. But I thought maybe it was just a coincidence," Marley continues. "But the way she described this Rachel...sounded a lot like the woman I met at the mall that day."

Of course. It didn't even cross Quinn's mind that Marley and Kitty could put two and two together. How could she be so stupid?

"I didn't mention anything to Kitty about it and I never told her that you were dating someone named Rachel. I'm just really confused and it's been bothering me. So, can you please explain?"

"It's not what you think," Quinn blurts.

Marley looks taken aback, "Oh? Quinn, I'm not here trying to accuse you of anything. I just want to know what's going on. And even if it is...what I think it is, you can trust me not to say anything."

The girl does look sincere. Quinn can tell that much. But can she really trust her?

She loves Rachel. And if losing the respect of others is the price she has to pay for being with her, then so be it. The whole world can frown upon her, and she still wouldn't give up what they have.

Sighing, she says, "Rachel's not really my aunt."

"Okay, then why do Kitty and Puck say she is?"

"I mean, she technically is. But not...really?"

Marley just stares at her as confused as ever.

"She was adopted," Quinn explains. "So we're not really blood related."

"So...you're with someone that you were raised to call your aunt all of your life?"

"No! It's not like that either."

"It's not?"

"No." Marley patiently waits for her to continue and it makes Quinn feel slightly more at ease. "We weren't really in each other's lives. She just recently came back from living in New York and she was gone for years. But even before she left, when I was younger, we weren't really around each other much. So I guess I didn't really know her until she moved back. We never got a chance to know each other, until now."

Marley bites her lip, thinking over everything. "That doesn't sound as bad as I thought it was. I mean, not that it's something that happens every day. It's just...different."

"Trust me, I know," Quinn chuckles. "When she came back, we were spending so much time together. And I didn't see her as my aunt. To me, she was this new person. A new friend. And I don't know how it happened but I just..."

"Fell for her?" Marley finishes.

"Yeah," Quinn smiles. "And for some reason she feels the same. So, here we are."

"And your parents are okay with this?"

"Actually, they don't know. You and Santana are the only ones that do."

Marley's eyebrows shoot up to her hairline, "Quinn! Are you really going to keep this hidden forever?"

"Well not forever. We're still figuring it out. But just for right now at least."

"I just hope it's worth it for you."

"It is," she says sharply.

"Hey, I didn't mean it like that," Marley responds softly.

"I know," Quinn sighs. "I'm sorry."

"Look, I know that we don't really know each other all that well. But for some reason, I really care about you. And I don't want to see you get hurt. I know you're a good person, Quinn."

Quinn smiles despite everything.

"And I swear I'm not trying to pursue you or anything," Marley laughs. "I have a feeling Rachel was worried about that. If that look she gave me was anything to go by," she shudders.

"It's okay," Quinn shakes her head at the memory. "I believe you. And I was hoping that we could still be friends?"

"Why wouldn't we be?"

"I don't know. I thought maybe telling you the truth about Rachel would be a deal breaker," she says forlornly.

"Quinn, no. I knew there had to be some explanation for it. That's why I wanted to talk to you before jumping to conclusions. I don't see it as anything really wrong, because it's not. And if she makes you happy, then who am I to judge?"

"Thank you," Quinn grins. "You've actually given me a little bit of hope that things will be okay when everyone finds out."

"Like I said, it's not exactly orthodox, but it's not wrong either," Marley smiles.

Quinn feels her phone vibrating in her pocket and pulls it out to see a message.

**Rachel: Everything okay? I've been waiting out here for a while...**

She quickly stands, "I have to go. Rachel's here to pick me up."

Marley also stands and waits for Quinn to grab her stuff and turn off all the lights.

When they go outside, Quinn can see her car parked near them with Rachel inside and turns to Marley, "Thanks...for everything I guess. For not judging me or telling anybody or -"

"Don't worry about it," she cuts her off. "Just don't be a stranger. You can talk to me about anything."

"I know," Quinn smiles as she pulls Marley in for a hug. With Santana leaving, she could really use someone else to talk to...

Marley looks over the blonde's shoulder to see the older woman in the car giving her another deadly glare.

"I think she's giving me that look again," she whispers as she suddenly pulls away.

Quinn sighs and turns around to look, only to see Rachel sporting an overenthusiastically fake smile. She scoffs, "Don't worry about it. I'll talk to her. I'll see you soon?"

"Just text me some time," Marley beams.

"Okay. Take care."

She watches Marley walk to her car and when the girl is safely inside, she opens the passenger door to her own car and slides in.

"Hey baby," Rachel greets as she leans in for a kiss. "I missed you."

"I missed you too." Quinn clicks her seatbelt in place. "What did you do tonight?" Quinn asks as the woman starts the drive back to her house.

"Oh, you know. Just had some wine and watched Sex and the City for a few hours."

Quinn chuckles, "Of course."

They ride together in silence for the next few minutes. Rachel reaches over to hold Quinn's hand.

"So..." she starts

"Yes, Rach?"

"Wasn't that Marley girl with you when you were leaving?"

Quinn was actually impressed with how long her girlfriend lasted before bringing it up. Five whole minutes...

"Yeah, that was her."

"Why was she there?"

They pull in front of the house when Quinn says, "She came by to say hi."

Rachel kills the engine. "What else did she want? She was in there for a while."

Quinn's sighs and takes off her seatbelt before climbing out of the car. She'd rather tell Rachel about this when they were inside.

She wraps an arm around her waist as they walk to the front door. "She wanted to talk to me about something."

She swears she can actually see the smoke coming out of Rachel's ears as they step inside the house and she can't help it when she chuckles a little.

"Oh? What did she want to talk about?" Rachel asks as sweetly as she can while she drags Quinn to sit on the couch with her.

"Rachel," she sighs. "Please don't freak out?" She pulls the woman into her side and leans back against the arm of the couch.

"Why would I freak out?" Rachel asks as calmly as she can. She's just praying that this girl didn't make a pass at her Quinn, otherwise she knew she would flip shit. "What is it?"

"Marley knows about us."

She frowns, "Marley knows about us?"

"Yes. As in she knows about our...relation."

"Oh, I see."

That's not too bad, she thinks. She was expecting to hear something much worse like...wait, what?

"Marley knows about us?!" Rachel shouts.

Quinn winces as she sits up. This was the initial reaction she was anticipating. "Yeah, she knows."

"How the hell does she know?"

"Shh, baby. You're shouting. I asked you not to freak out."

"Quinn!"

"Okay! She's friends with that Kitty girl, remember? Kitty told her about hanging out with Puck and Quinn and 'Quinn's aunt Rachel'. And Marley just kind of pieced it all together. So she came by to talk to me about it."

"And you told her it was true?" Rachel stands from the couch and starts pacing.

"Well, yeah! But -"

"Quinn! Why would you do that? What if she runs her mouth to everybody? What if it gets back to Judy?"

"Rachel," Quinn stands and wraps her arms around the panicking woman. "Please stop. She's not going to tell anyone."

"And how do you know that?"

"Because she promised she wouldn't, okay? And I explained to her the circumstances of our relationship. And you know what? She's not judging us. She's actually happy for us."

Rachel keeps eye contact with her. She knows that Quinn at least believes it. She sighs, "Quinn, are you sure that you can trust her? Because I still think that she's just trying to win you over."

"Yes, I really do trust her. And will you stop it with that already? She's not out to steal me from you. And she already thinks that you hate her."

"Okay! I know. I'm sorry for being such a jealous girlfriend all the time."

"Rachel," she rests their foreheads together. "I love you. And you trust me, right?"

"Of course I do. I just don't trust anyone else in this world."

"I know, baby. It's okay."

"And I'm just scared that she's going to say something. I can't lose you."

She pulls the blonde in for a desperate kiss. Their lips move together in a haste. And when Quinn finally pulls away, Rachel is reluctant to let her.

"You're not going to lose me."

"You promise?"

"I promise," Quinn smiles.

Rachel nods. She knows that she can't keep living in paranoia. She needs to at least meet Quinn halfway.

"Okay. I'll give Marley just one chance. For you."

Quinn smiles, "Thank you."

"But if she tries anything. And I mean anything. Well, let's just say you've been warned."

"Okay Rachel," Quinn laughs.

The woman continues holding her. She only takes a step back when she hears a stomach growling and looks down.

"Are you hungry?" she asks with concern.

"Yeah," Quinn nods. "I didn't get a chance to go on break tonight."

"Aw, baby," she coos. She takes her hand and pulls her to the kitchen. "Come on, you need to eat. I'll make you something."

"Okay mom," Quinn chuckles.

Rachel looks at her and grimaces, "Gross."

* * *

Another few days pass, which means that classes are close to starting for Quinn. She steps out of the admissions office and approaches her dad, who had come by with her to the Lima University.

"Hey," he stands up from his chair. "How did it go?"

"Good," she nods. "I got all of my holds cleared. So I get to keep the classes I wanted," she smiles.

"That's good to hear," he says as they walk out of the building. The campus was pretty crowded that day with a lot of students taking care of last minute things. So they had to park a good distance away.

"What are you taking anyway?" Russell asks. He knows that Quinn was still undeclared, but maybe her class choices could help give her a better idea.

"Hmm, biology," she says with a frown. "Composition, creative writing, and American literature."

"Four classes isn't that bad," he points out.

She shakes her head, "No. I didn't wanna stress myself out in my first semester."

"Good idea, kiddo. And you're taking a few writing classes?"

"Yeah," she shrugs. "I don't know. It's the only thing that I both enjoy and am actually halfway decent at."

"So why not major in something like English? You could be an excellent professional writer."

"Dad, that's not exactly the easiest field to get into," she smiles.

"Well, you'll never know unless you try."

"Sorry that we can't all be doctors like you and mom," she jokes.

"Being a doctor is not for everyone, and that's okay. I wouldn't want that life for you anyway. Your mother and I are hardly home anymore," he says with morose.

"It's okay. I understand, really. You guys don't have to be there for me twenty-four seven anymore. I'll be fine."

"I know you're a smart girl, Quinn. You're gonna go far, kiddo."

She smiles, "Thanks."

They continue walking through the large parking lot.

"I'm not supposed to be saying anything, but your mom's been worried about you."

She nods. She already knew this with what Rachel had told her. "Why is she worried?

"Well, you know how she is. You're at that age where you can go around doing whatever you want, and it probably scares her."

She shrugs, "I'm just enjoying life. I'm not doing anything bad."

"That's what I told her. But in the end it's just her baby girl growing up and leaving the nest."

"Yeah. But I'm fine, I swear."

"I know. But can you maybe try to spend more time with her whenever she is home? I'm sure that would make her feel better."

"Of course," she agrees. She can do that.

They pass by young couple walking through the parking lot holding hands and smiling at each other. Recalling the other night, Russell asks, "So, how did your date go?"

She swallows, "Fine."

"Fine? That's it?" he laughs. "Will there at least be a second date?"

"I'm sure there will be," she says. "I like her a lot."

"Do you think it'll turn out to be something serious?"

"I don't know. I mean, I hope so." She knows that her dad isn't one to pry like Judy is. And he already promised not to say anything to her before Quinn is ready.

"Well when you think it's time, I'm sure your mom would like to meet her. And I would too," he says.

Quinn plasters on a smile. He's probably going to be waiting for a while...

They finally reach his car and get inside.

"Oh, don't forget that your mother and I's twentieth anniversary party is coming up. So make sure that you get that night off from work."

"I will," she assures.

"And can you remind Rachel if you see her anytime soon? We haven't heard from her in a while."

She coughs, "Sure. I think she's just been busy."

Russell starts the engine before reversing out. "Aren't we all?"

She just smiles and nods in agreement with him. She hopes with all of her heart that if anyone would support the idea of her and Rachel, it would be him. Guess she'll find out one day...


	15. Chapter 15

"Quinn, no. Put that back."

"Rachel, you know I don't like Raisin Bran!"

"Yes I know that. However, it's not exactly healthy to be eating Captain Crunch every day!"

Quinn pouts and puts the cereal box back on the shelf, "Fine."

"I'm just teasing," Rachel laughs and leans over for a kiss. "I'll get both," she says as she grabs the box and puts it in the basket.

The blonde smiles and shakes her head. The two had been doing some late night shopping at the grocery store for over an hour. And even with their minor bickering, Quinn loves doing these things with Rachel.

"Oh! I forgot to grab baking soda. I'll be right back!" Rachel says as she quickly scurries off.

Quinn sighs and slowly pushes the shopping cart forward and out of the way of the people around her. Everything was just kind of tossed inside the basket and piled together. So she takes the time to reorganize everything.

It takes her all of five minutes and she frowns when she looks around to see that Rachel still hasn't come back yet.

She pushes the cart around the store for a while until she finally spots her girlfriend talking to someone she's never seen before. She leaves the cart at the end of the aisle and approaches Rachel and the exceptionally handsome stranger that she was talking to.

"Everything okay?" Quinn asks as she eyes them both.

Rachel turns to her with wide eyes.

"Oh! I didn't realize you were here with someone," the man says. He holds his hand out to Quinn and smiles, "I'm Brody, a friend of Rachel's."

She half heartedly shakes his hand. So this was that Brody guy...

Feeling inferior in his presence, Quinn suddenly forgets how to speak and looks to Rachel.

"This is my...friend, Quinn," the woman says.

She looks at Rachel incredulously. Because really?

"It's nice to meet you," Brody says.

"Yeah, you too. I've heard so much about you," she mumbles.

With the possessive side of her taking over, she reaches over to wrap her arm around Rachel's waist, only for the woman to shrug her off as subtly as possible. The action makes Quinn feel even smaller.

Brody seems to notice the tension and clears his throat, "Well anyway, it was nice catching up with you, Rachel. I hope to hear from you soon."

She smiles politely as he leans down to hug her and awkwardly returns the embrace. She knows that the blonde next to her is likely fuming right now, but she doesn't want to be rude.

He looks at Quinn and nods before disappearing around the corner.

The two girls stand there in silence for a moment until Rachel turns and walks back to the cart. She freezes when Quinn catches up to her and tries to lock their hands together.

"Quinn..." she warns.

The girl instantly drops her hand. Rachel chances a glance at her and sees that her face is completely stoic.

"Did we get everything?" Quinn asks.

Rachel winces at the tone of her voice. It was cold and distant and she didn't like it one bit.

She sighs, "Yeah, I think so."

"Okay." The blonde wordlessly walks in front of her to the checkout area.

She knows that Quinn is obviously upset. She has a right to be. And Rachel also knows she'll have to talk with her as soon as she can to fix this.

They walk to the car in silence and load all of the bags into the back. As soon as they're on the road back to her house, Rachel over down to take Quinn's free hand into hers.

She's shouldn't be surprised when Quinn pulls her hand away, but it still hurts. And Rachel knows that she deserves it.

When they get back to the house, she tries to start getting the bags down, but Quinn insists that she doesn't have to worry about it and tells her to go inside. She huffs and does as she's told.

A little while later, after they get everything put away in the kitchen, Rachel turns to see Quinn organizing everything in the fridge.

"Quinn?"

"Hmm?" The blonde keeps her attention focused on the task at hand.

Rachel walks over and wraps her arms around her from behind.

"Please don't shut me out," she whispers. "Talk to me, baby."

Quinn stops and closes the fridge. She turns around to face the other woman. "What do you want me to say, Rachel?"

"Quinn please..."

"And you're really telling me not to shut you out when that's exactly what you did at the store?"

She tries to walk away, but Rachel yanks on her hand and doesn't let go.

"I know! I'm sorry. I just got nervous."

"Oh, so Brody made you nervous?"

"No! It's just that we were in public and -"

"Don't pull that excuse on me. You've never had an issue with kissing me or holding my hand in public. And now all of the sudden you do once this Brody guy shows up?"

She slips her hands out of Rachel's grasp and storms out of the kitchen. The woman chases after her.

"Don't you walk away from me!"

Quinn heads straight for the front door and Rachel has to use all of her strength to keep her from reaching it. The blonde relents and allows herself to be dragged back.

"Sit down!" Rachel shoves her onto the couch and glares down at her. "You're not going anywhere until we get past this. I don't care how long it takes!"

The younger girl rolls her eyes and crosses her arms. Only Rachel...

"Okay fine. Let's talk. You run into Brody and as soon as I show up, you push me away. And you don't even tell him that I'm your girlfriend!" Quinn shouts. "Is that how it's always going to be? I'm just 'your friend, Quinn'? Are you really that ashamed of me?"

"Of course not!" Rachel starts pacing. "I just didn't want him to find out that I'm dating the girl that's technically my niece."

Quinn watches her move around the room from her place on the couch. "Have you told him that I'm your niece?"

"No."

"Then what's the problem?"

"I don't know! Okay? I'm sorry. I just wasn't thinking and I panicked."

"Fine. I forgive you. But if we ever run into him again, he's going to know that you're mine."

Rachel stops, "Are you seriously jealous of Brody?"

"Of course I am! Have you seen him?"

"You're being ridiculous."

"And you went on a date with him!"

"One date that led to nothing. And I'm with you now. So obviously there won't be another date."

"Did you sleep with him?"

"What?" Rachel shrieks. "No! We just kissed. I swear."

Quinn's eyes widen in shock, "That's even worse!"

Despite everything, Rachel can't help but chuckle at the adorableness that was Quinn.

"Baby," she says softly. "How is that worse?"

"I don't know. It just is!"

Rachel smiles and finally sits next to the blonde. "Trust me. The only thing I got out of kissing him was realizing that I liked kissing you a lot more."

Quinn tries to argue, but Rachel presses their lips together to emphasize her point. And also to shut her up.

The action seems to have relaxed Quinn a little. "Just thinking about anyone kissing you hurts so much."

"Trust me. I know. That's why I lose it when I think that you were almost with Marley."

Quinn sighs, "Rachel, we've talked about that."

"I know! And I've been nice so far, right?"

"I guess so."

"Humor me for once," Rachel groans dramatically.

Quinn laughs for the first time since they got back. "You're cute."

"Am I?" Rachel nuzzles into Quinn's neck.

"Definitely." She wraps her arm around the woman's shoulder and holds her close. "And I'm sorry for going off like that. I just don't want you to be ashamed of me."

"I'm not ashamed of you, Quinn. I've already told you that I can't wait to show you off to the whole world when we're ready."

"Yeah?" Quinn smiles.

"Of course. And I also can't wait to laugh in everyone's stupid faces when they see that I'm the one that gets to be on your arm."

Quinn snorts, "If you say so."

"I do." She tilts her head to plant a kiss on the girl's neck. "And I'm sorry. I promise I'll never do that again."

"I know," Quinn murmurs.

"Good."

"I think we've just survived our first actual fight."

"That wasn't too bad. So, now what?"

"Now I remind you that love you."

Rachel's heart soars. "I love you too. More than anything."

She pulls the girl in for a deep kiss and moans when Quinn grips her waist even tighter.

She stops the kiss and smirks at the confused girl. Something else that they can do after a fight just came to her...

She says sweetly, "Quinn?"

"Yes?"

"Did I tell you that I went to the doctor on Monday?"

Quinn frowns with concern, "No? What's wrong? Is everything okay?"

She licks her lips, "Everything is fine. I just needed to get a prescription."

"A prescription?"

"For birth control."

She stares with lust-filled eyes as realization dawns on Quinn.

"Oh." To say the girl was excited is an understatement. The two hadn't been together like that since their first time. "That was smart of you."

"Mhmm. Of course I had to take it for a few days for it to kick in first. But I think it should be safe by now."

"Is it?" Quinn's eyes darken. She's so ready to pounce...

And Rachel is starting to feel like helpless prey. "Yes," she says huskily.

"So I can..."

"Yes."

"Do you want me to..."

"No. I _need_ you to cum inside of me. Right now."

And that's all it takes for Quinn to attack. Their lips crash together and their hands start exploring everywhere. Both girls' shirts and bras are ripped off and thrown somewhere on the floor.

Their mouths stay fused together as Quinn roughly gropes Rachel's breast and tweaks a nipple. She moans loudly when the woman starts palming her through her jeans.

Rachel can't wait any longer. She stands up from the couch and quickly pulls her own pants and underwear down.

"Can I ride you?" she asks as she shrugs them off of her feet.

"I don't know," Quinn challenges as she lifts her hips to slide off her jeans and boxers. She takes hold of her completely hard cock and smirks as she begins stroking it, "Can you?"

Rachel doesn't answer and instead plants her knees on the couch to straddle her.

"You know you never have to ask," Quinn says right before she kisses her again. Being in this position on the couch suddenly reminds her of their very first kiss.

"I know, baby." Rachel wraps a fist around the hard member beneath her and moves to hover over it.

She places the head at her entrance and leans down to kiss Quinn once more. "I love you."

"I love _you_ , Rachel."

With those words, the woman slowly sinks down inch by inch onto her. Quinn watches in amazement as she now has a clear view of her cock disappearing between Rachel's folds.

"Oh god," Rachel whimpers.

When the woman raises herself back up, Quinn watches as her shaft reappears, glistened in Rachel's wetness.

"Fuck," she breathes out.

After a few thrusts, Rachel is finally adjusting to her girth and gets a steady rhythm going. Quinn's gently holds onto her hips to help guide her.

She knows that Rachel is in control right now. The woman has her hands braced on the back of the couch as her speed increases.

"God, baby. That feels amazing. You're such a pro at this," Quinn says.

Rachel shakes her head with hooded eyes. "Only for you," she pants and connects their lips.

Quinn gently rubs her thumb over the woman's protruding clit.

"Fuck! Quinn!"

She slams down harder and moves her hips even faster.

The blonde knows that Rachel is close already.

"That's it, Rach. Just like that," she murmurs as the other girl continues to bounce on her dick relentlessly.

She presses harder on her clit. And when her movements become more sloppy, she can tell that Rachel is just about there.

Sure enough, she feels the woman tightening around her cock.

"Ahh! Quinn!"

Quinn thrusts up into her to help prolong Rachel's orgasm. And it seems to work as she feels the tight walls fluttering around her for what seems like forever.

"Quinn. Fuck, Quinn," Rachel chants over and over. "God..."

She slumps forward and wraps her arms around the blonde's neck when she finally comes down. Quinn softly runs her hands up and down her back.

"Still alive?"

She smiles when she hears Rachel laugh. The woman pulls her head up and rests their foreheads together.

"Why didn't you finish?"

"I'm going to. I just wanted to get you off first. And I figured you could use an intermission."

Rachel scoffs, "Quinn, I swear if you don't -Ah!"

She squeals when Quinn suddenly stands and turns them around to gently lay Rachel on the couch.

The girl kneels between her spread thighs and asks, "You were saying?"

Rachel narrows her eyes playfully, "Nothing."

She gasps when Quinn pushes into her hard. The girl is still kneeling as she holds the woman's hips in place while she pumps in and out.

Rachel thinks that they're too far apart right now. "Baby, come here," she says as she pulls the girl to lay her body on top of hers.

Quinn does so and kisses her again. She then moves her head to whisper into Rachel's ear, "You're so amazing."

"So are you." Rachel digs her fingertips into the blonde's shoulders as their lower bodies move together faster. "And you're fucking me so good right now."

Her legs spread further apart as she feels Quinn going deeper inside of her.

"Jesus baby. I'm so close," Quinn groans.

Rachel holds her even tighter. "I know. Me too."

It's as if she can feel Quinn everywhere inside of her.

She tangles her hand into blonde hair as she feels her second orgasm of the night approaching. "Quinn," she gasps out as she lets it consume her once again.

When she feels Rachel's tight channel contracting around her, Quinn releases herself as deep inside of the woman as she can.

"Fuck," she moans as it continuously shoots out of her.

Rachel feels the hot liquid filling her up and rasps out, "Yes, Quinn. Just like that, baby..."

Quinn cums as much as she can and only slows down her thrusting when she knows that she's completely empty. She rests her head on Rachel's chest while they catch their breaths together.

The woman softly stokes her hair and presses a kiss to the top of her head. "I love you," she says.

"I love you too." Quinn braces herself on her elbows to pull out of Rachel, but stops when the brunette holds her in place.

"No. You're staying right here."

Quinn chuckles and rests her weight back down, "If you say so."

"I do. And your cock belongs to me now. So I can do whatever I please with it."

"Oh my god, Rachel..."

"Well it's true," Rachel smirks.

Quinn pecks her lips and says, "How do you go from being so sweet one minute to incredibly filthy the next?"

She shrugs, "You bring this side out of me, Quinn. You turned something on in me that I never knew was there before. I'm so crazy about you and you make me want to do things I've never wanted to do before."

"I find that hard to believe," Quinn teases.

"Well believe it."

They lay together like that for a few more minutes before Quinn finally pulls herself out of a pouting Rachel and sits up on the couch.

She groans when she sees drops of her cum leaking out of Rachel's hole.

"So fucking hot," she mumbles.

Rachel snakes her hand down to spread her pussy lips apart. She quirks an eyebrow when she sees Quinn's member hardening while she watches her. "That didn't take long," she smirks.

"For you, it never does," the blonde strokes herself slowly. "Do you wanna go again?"

The woman quickly stands and pulls an eager Quinn up with her. "Let's take this to my room. There's a perfectly good bed that we should be using..."

* * *

After that eventful night, a couple of more days pass in the blink of an eye.

And one of the days that Quinn had been secretly dreading was finally here. It was the day that Santana was leaving for California with Brittany.

She had been spending the past couple days with her best friend as well as Puck and Brittany. And now that the day was here, Quinn wishes that she could have spent even more time with her.

Everyone was gathered at Brittany's house and helping them load everything into one car. Brittany's parent were currently in the house trying to get her cat into the kennel. Santana and Quinn's parents were outside along with Rachel. And it was just about time for Santana and Brittany to leave.

"I think that's everything," Puck says as he and Russell shove the last box into the trunk.

"We finally got Lord Tubbington," Brittany's dad says as he walks down the driveway with the cat in tow.

Brittany nods and looks at Santana, "Are you ready?"

The girl sighs, "Yeah. Let's get this over with."

The two girls start making their rounds to say goodbye to everyone.

Brittany bounces up to Quinn first and nearly suffocates her with an enormous hug. "Bye Quinn! You'll come visit us, right?"

"Of course. I've never been to California before."

"So you promise that you'll come soon?"

Quinn smiles, "I promise."

Britanny pecks her cheek before moving on to Puck.

Santana approaches Quinn next. Rachel can't help but watch the interaction curiously.

Judy leans over to whisper in her ear, "Poor Quinn looks like she's trying so hard not to cry."

Rachel nods. Seeing the girl like this was breaking her heart.

Quinn doesn't say anything and instead pulls her friend into a tight embrace.

"I'm gonna miss you, Q-tip," Santana mumbles sadly.

The blonde squeezes her tighter, "Me too."

When they pull apart, she says, "Look, I -"

"I know, Quinn," the other girl smiles. "Don't be getting all gay on me now. Your ass is gonna come visit soon."

Quinn laughs, "I know."

Santana nods, "Okay. I'll call you when we get there."

"Okay."

They hug one last time before Santana goes to Judy.

"Take care of yourself, sweetie."

"I will, Judes," Santana smiles. "And thank you for everything."

She then approaches Rachel. The woman is hesitant at first, but pulls the girl into a hug nonetheless.

"Be careful down there," Rachel says.

"I will." Santana leans over to whisper into her ear, "And you'd better take care of Quinn."

When they pull apart, Rachel gives a reassuring smile as well as a nod.

Satisfied with the response, Santana goes on to say bye to everyone else.

Rachel looks over to see Quinn with her arms wrapped around herself, looking so fragile.

The woman doesn't hesitate to walk over to her and lay a hand on her shoulder. Quinn smiles at the gesture and Rachel tries so hard to express her touch that everything was going to be okay.

She wants so badly to hold her and kiss her. But she knows that they can't do that here.

Quinn knows it too. But she also knows that she can feel all the love Rachel has for her with just one simple touch. And it's enough to get her through today.

* * *

Later that evening, the two finally get back to Rachel's house and have some time alone.

Seeing Santana off was more emotional than Rachel was anticipating, and she was exhausted. She wanted to rest. But first, she had to make sure that Quinn was okay.

She pulls the girl into her bedroom the lay down. As soon as they hit the bed, Quinn's eyes start watering.

The blonde quickly wipes at them and sniffles, "I'm sorry. I'm just -"

"I know, baby," Rachel soothes. "It's okay."

"I..." Quinn doesn't know what to say. She just knows that she wants to cry her eyes out right now.

And that's exactly what happens when the tears start spilling and she curses herself for not being able to control it.

Rachel quickly pulls the sobbing girl into her chest and runs her fingers through the blonde hair as she lets it all out.

"Shh, it's okay. I'm right here, Quinn. I'm here for you..."

Quinn clutches at her shirt as if Rachel's words were her only lifeline.

"It's going to be okay. I promise."

"I know," Quinn whimpers.

Rachel keeps reassuring the girl with her words. And eventually, Quinn cries herself to sleep in her arms.

She gently kisses her forehead and whispers, "I love you."

If there had to be someone to hold Quinn together, Rachel knows that she would always be up to the challenge. She knows that she can't prevent every heartache that her girlfriend has to endure in the future. But she's going to damn well make sure that she's there for her every single time.


	16. Chapter 16

The first week of classes at Lima's university had been surprisingly easy for Quinn. All of the assignments so far weren't too much trouble for her. And sure, balancing school, work, friends, and her girlfriend wasn't exactly a walk in the park, but she knew it was worth it at the end of the day.

After her last class, she had walked over to the bookstore where Marley worked. Upon first glance, it was a little rundown and hardly had any business. But Quinn had no trouble warming up to the homely atmosphere.

She was sat at a table across from Marley. They were the only ones in the place, and the girl had texted her because she was bored. Quinn decided to come by to keep her company. She was now flipping through a few books that she grabbed off the shelf.

"How are your classes going?" she asks. She was a little bummed when she saw that she wouldn't have any classes with her or Puck.

"Good. It's pretty easy to study when I'm at work," Marley chuckles. "What about yours?"

"Mine are fine. I'm mainly taking writing classes, so it's been pretty interesting."

"Am I going to read anything by you that's been published one day?"

Quinn smiles, "I guess we'll see."

She puts one of the books aside after deciding that the synopsis wasn't of any interest to her.

She feels her phone vibrate and pulls it out to check it.

"How's Rachel doing?" Marley asks.

Quinn glances at the text message.

**Rachel: Are you coming by before you go to work? I'm horny :(**

She purses her lips and looks back up at Marley, "Rachel's doing just fine."

She then types out her reply.

**Quinn: I was gonna go back to my house and get some homework done...**

**Rachel: You can do homework here!**

She laughs.

**Quinn: Not with you distracting me.**

**Rachel: I promise I'll behave!**

Quinn shakes her head and puts her phone back in her pocket. She looks smiles softly at Marley, "Sorry. I didn't mean to ignore you."

"Don't worry about it," the girl waves her off. "So you and Rachel are doing okay?"

"Yeah! We've been doing great."

"That's good to hear."

"Yeah, I'm glad that I'm still able to spend time with her. With school and work and everything..."

"Sounds like you've got your plate full. Has she been up to anything?" Marley asks curiously.

"Like what?"

"Well I know you said that she does waitressing part time. I'm just wondering if she has anything else going on."

Quinn frowns, "Not really. She just spends most of her time with me."

Marley quirks an eyebrow, "You don't think she'll get bored eventually?"

"What are you saying? That she's going to get tired of me?" The thought alone makes Quinn feel like her heart is being squeezed.

"No! I'm just saying that we all need to have something to work towards. It's not healthy to revolve your life around one person when your own life has no direction."

Quinn deflates. Everything that Marley's saying is true. Even she doesn't know what Rachel's plan is. "I don't know. The only thing she really says about her own future is that she wants us to be together."

"And I'm sure you will be," Marley smiles. "I just don't want this to come back around and bite you. You should really think about it."

"Well thanks a lot. I will know," Quinn jokes. She checks the time on her phone and sighs, "I should probably get going. But I'll come by more, okay?" She stands and grabs her bag.

"All right. Take care, Quinn."

* * *

"Fuck! Quinn! Baby! Ahh!"

"Oh god," Quinn whimpers as she bucks up into Rachel. She holds her hips in place as the older woman slams herself up and down her length.

"So good," Rachel pants as she tries to keep her rhythm steady.

Quinn brings her hand up to palm one of the woman's bouncing breasts. Rachel lovingly covers the hand with her own and locks their fingers together.

"I'm almost there...Fuck, Quinn! Harder!"

She thrusts her cock up faster into the tight channel and feels her own orgasm fast approaching.

Rachel throws her head back and cries out as Quinn feels her pussy putting her in a chokehold. She keeps up with her relentless pumping as she releases the hot liquid deep into the beautiful goddess above her.

"Rach! Fuck..." she moans as Rachel milks every last drop out of her.

When she's done, Quinn throws an arm over her face as she evens out her breathing.

Rachel slips the blonde's member out of herself and collapses on the bed next to her. Quinn wastes no time in wrapping her arms around her waist and pulling her close.

"So much for doing homework," she mumbles with a smile.

"Sorry," Rachel chuckles.

"What happened to behaving?" Quinn lightly kisses her forehead.

"Well, obviously I just couldn't help myself," the woman yawns.

"Obviously," Quinn smirks.

"Oh, hush you," Rachel lightly swats her. "You should be glad that I want you like this all the time."

"Trust me, I am." She presses their lips together in a sweet kiss.

Rachel reaches up to cup her cheek. "I love you," she whispers as she pulls away.

"I love you too."

Feeling completely spent, Rachel rest her head on the blonde's shoulder and holds her close. She sighs in content when she feels a hand softly running up and down her back.

"I need to get ready for work," Quinn says sadly.

Rachel nods and rolls onto her back. "Okay. I'm just gonna lay here for a while. You wore me out."

Quinn smiles and gets up to go to the bathroom.

After she's showered and dressed in her uniform, she comes out to see Rachel sitting up on the bed with a robe wrapped around herself. She was reading a book until the blonde had come out of the bathroom.

She sets the book down and asks, "You're coming over later, right?"

"Of course." Quinn moves to stand next to the bed and leans down to give her a quick kiss. "Knowing that I'll get to see you is probably the only thing that'll get me through the night."

"Well aren't you a sweet talker?"

Quinn rolls her eyes, "Whatever. See you later."

She gives her girlfriend one last kiss before rushing off to work.

* * *

When Quinn enters the house later that night, she notices that all of the lights are off and guesses that Rachel is already asleep. She sighs and snatches her backpack up from the couch and quietly makes her way to the kitchen table.

She turns on the light and pulls out one of her textbooks. She had a quiz coming up in one of her classes that goes over the first week of material. And while she knew that she would probably ace it with no problem, she still wanted to be prepared.

About half an hour later, the bedroom door opens and a bleary-eyed Rachel slowly walks to sit next to her girlfriend.

"I was wondering where you were," she yawns.

"Sorry, I didn't wanna wake you." Quinn closes the book and sets it aside.

"It's okay." Rachel props her elbow on the table and rests her chin in her palm. "Long night at work?"

Quinn shrugs, "It wasn't too bad."

"What are you reading?"

"I was just studying for a test."

"Did you want any help?"

"I think I'm good," Quinn smiles.

"Well if you ever need help with anything, just let me know. I was pretty book smart back in the day," Rachel grins.

"I don't doubt it."

Quinn mimics Rachel's position as the two stare at one another.

After a beat, Quinn suddenly asks, "Do you ever think about going back to school?"

Rachel furrows her brow and sits up, completely caught off guard by the question. "No, not really. Why are you asking?"

"I'm just wondering." Quinn starts fiddling with her hands. "All you've really had going on lately is spending time with me."

"And what's wrong with that? I like spending time with you."

"I know. It just feels uneven. I'm busy with school now and I have Marley and Santana and Puck. And you...don't really have anyone."

"I'm quite aware that I don't really have any friends, Quinn. Thank you for reminding me," Rachel snaps bitterly.

"Rachel, I didn't mean it like that."

"Then what do you want from me? To start taking classes and make new friends so I'm not this...sad old woman who already peaked in life? Do you want a girlfriend that you can be proud of?"

Rachel knows that she's being irrational. But she can't help it when her insecurities come back to her. What does she even have to offer? She knows that Quinn can always do better than her...

"Baby, I didn't mean to upset you," Quinn says softly as she takes her hand. "I just want you to be happy."

"I am happy."

"I know you're happy with me. But I also know that there's this driven, passionate side of you that I haven't even seen yet. I just know there is."

Rachel doesn't say anything because Quinn is right. She just lost it years ago sometime during her marriage.

"And I'm not saying you should go back to school or start a new career if you don't want to. I'm going to be proud of you no matter what. I promise. I just want you to be proud of yourself. I'm not going to be Finn. I'm not going to let you stay on the sidelines while I choose the direction of where our lives are going. I love you too much."

Leave it to Quinn to chase her insecurities away...

The woman sighs, "I know you do, Quinn. And I'm sorry for snapping at you like that. I'm just embarrassed because I know I'm a Lima loser now."

"But you're not, Rachel. I believe in you so much."

Rachel smiles, "I haven't really heard that from anyone in a long time."

"Well it's true."

The older woman leans forward and softly presses their lips together, "Why are you the sweetest?"

Quinn blushes. "I'm only like this with you," she mumbles.

Rachel moves her head to kiss her cheek.

"I promise that I'll work harder on figuring my life out."

"You don't have to do anything you're not ready for."

"As long as you're with me at the end of the day, I'm ready to do anything."

Quinn smiles and rests her head down on the table with a yawn. She hums in approval when she feels fingertips lightly scratching her scalp.

"Are you ready for bed?" Rachel asks.

"Mhmm. I'm so tired."

"I bet. You've been up all day. Come on."

She gently pulls Quinn up and guides her to the bedroom to get some sleep.

* * *

A few days pass and Quinn found herself even more busy with school. Between doing assignments and working, she resorted to talking on the phone with Rachel whenever she could.

After she finished the paper she was working on, she gave her girlfriend a call to chat for a bit, which was nearly an hour ago...

"How did your quiz go?" Rachel asks.

"I got an A," Quinn answers as she gets up from her bed to walk downstairs.

"Of course you did," the woman laughs.

She smiles, "I know. Call me a nerd all you want."

"Well you're my nerd."

"Mhmm. What are you doing?"

"Just getting ready for work."

"Oh," Quinn frowns as she steps into the kitchen. She grabs a water bottle and leans against the counter. "I miss you."

She hears Rachel stop whatever she's doing on the other end.

"I miss you too, baby."

She sighs, "This has been ridiculous. I'll try to shuffle some things around so I can come by more."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I? You're my girlfriend."

"I can't wait. I'll see you tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah," Quinn nods. "I'm free all day."

"Okay good. I have to go now."

Quinn laughs as she can practically hear the pout on the other end. "I love you," she says.

"I love you too."

With that, they both hang up and Quinn puts the phone back in her pocket.

"Who was that?"

Quinn screams and the water bottle goes flying across the kitchen. She whips around only to see...

"Mom! You scared me!" she shrieks.

"Sorry," Judy chuckles from the doorway. "We were slow at work. So I got to go home early."

Quinn nods and starts rubbing her neck, feeling nervous.

"So, who were you talking to?" Judy asks excitedly as she leans against the counter next to Quinn.

She plays dumb, "Just now?"

Judy rolls her eyes, "Yes, just now. Quinn, why didn't you tell me you had a girlfriend?"

The younger blonde opens and closes her mouth like a stupid fish. How long had her mom been listening?

"I don't know," she squeaks out.

"Okay...well when can I meet her?"

But before Quinn can say anything, Judy is struck with an idea.

"Oh! You should bring her to the anniversary party on Friday! That would be perfect," she beams.

"I don't know about that," Quinn stutters. "I mean, I don't know if we're serious enough to be meeting parents yet."

It was a plausible enough excuse. Probably the best one she could come up with on the spot.

"Oh really? But you're serious enough to be saying 'I love you'?"

Crap. Maybe not.

Judy eyes her and Quinn starts shuffling her feet.

"I promise not to embarrass you too much," the older Fabray tries.

"I guess I can ask her," she murmurs.

"She'd better come. If she doesn't, I'll go out and find her myself. I wanna meet this girl." Judy then smiles, "This is so exciting! You're finally bringing a girl home!"

Quinn faux smiles along with her. She doesn't know how the hell she's getting out of this one...

* * *

"No."

"Rachel..."

"Absolutely not."

Quinn gets up from the couch as soon as Rachel does and gently grabs her wrist to keep her from going any further.

"What else would you have me do?" she asks.

Rachel swings back around to look at her, "Well for starters, you could have not said anything to Judy in the first place!"

"Hey, that's not fair. I already told you that she overheard me talking to you."

"I know that! Fuck..." Rachel starts rubbing her temples, trying to think.

"I'm sorry, baby."

"Just tell her that your girlfriend can't make it?"

Quinn shakes her head, "She'll just get more persistent about it and probably catch on eventually."

Rachel groans because she knows that's true. "Tell her that you broke up?"

"She'll know I'm lying. She could tell I was acting weird when we talked," Quinn looks down at the floor sadly.

The older woman gives up. She doesn't know what else to do.

"I'm sorry, Rach. But this is probably our best bet, okay? Unless you can come up with something better?"

And Rachel can't. She knows that she's not ready for Judy to find out yet. And Quinn is right. This is probably their safest option if they want to stay hidden.

She relents, "Okay then. Let's do it."

"Are you sure?"

"What other choice do we have?"

Quinn nods. She pulls Rachel into an affectionate embrace for a moment.

When she pulls back, she scrolls through the contacts on her phone until she finds what she's looking for and pushes call. She locks eyes with Rachel and waits patiently as it rings before the person finally picks up.

"Hello?"

"Hey Marley. Listen, I need a favor..."


	17. Chapter 17

"Do you think these look pretty?" Rachel asks.

"Yeah. Those are her favorite color," Quinn smiles.

"Okay, then let's get them."

The day of the anniversary party was there, and Rachel wanted to get some flowers as a gift to her sister and Russell. And of course, her girlfriend came along with her.

After they made their selection, they walk up to wait in line to pay.

Quinn wraps her arms around the small woman from behind and rests her head on her shoulder. Rachel sinks into her hold and sighs.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Just a little worried about today."

Quinn presses a kiss to her temple. "It's all gonna be over before you know it. Trust me, okay?"

"Of course I trust you."

"Good."

Rachel nods, "Mhmm. I love you."

The blonde squeezes her tighter and says, "I love you too."

"Rachel? Rachel Berry?"

Both girls are startled and turn around suddenly to see who was speaking to Rachel. The woman's eyes widen while Quinn has a slight look of confusion. Where has she seen this face before?

But luckily, she doesn't have to wait long until she has her answer.

"Kurt?" Rachel's mouth drops open.

Kurt smiles, "I knew it was you. I'd recognize that voice anywhere."

The two embrace in an enormous hug and Quinn takes a step back so she doesn't get knocked over.

"Oh my god! It's been years!" Kurt exclaims.

"I know!" Rachel replies gleefully as she pulls away. "It's so good to see you!"

She looks to Quinn and says, "Oh! This is my friend, Kurt. We've known each other since high school." Rachel then looks at her old friend and doesn't hesitate when she says, "And this is Quinn, my _girlfriend_."

Kurt politely shakes her hand, "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too. I think I'll let you guys catch up," Quinn smiles politely as she gets back in line to pay for the bouquet of flowers.

Kurt looks back at Rachel and grins, "Wow, I never thought I'd see you in Lima again. Last time we talked, you were high-tailing to New York."

"I just moved back recently. I wanted to give you a call. But I thought maybe you forgot about me...or that you were upset with me."

"Rachel, please," Kurt scoffs. "I never took it personally. There's no shame in adding some excitement into your life."

Rachel smiles in gratitude at his understanding.

Kurt lowers his voice, "So I'm guessing that it didn't work out with...what was his name? Finn?"

"Yes, Finn. And no, it didn't work out. That's why I came back."

He knows that there's a juicy story behind this. But Rachel probably wouldn't be up to discussing it around the girl she was with. Speaking of which...

"And I see that you've found someone else. She's stunning! And she's young. Nice grab," he winks.

Rachel blushes with a smile, "Quinn is wonderful. It's getting serious between us. And since I know you're just dying to ask...yes, she's the first girl I've been with."

Kurt tilts his head as he studies her, "Well you're just full of surprises, aren't you?"

She shifts under his gaze and decides to change the subject, "What about you? Anyone special in your life?"

"Yes! That's why I stopped by here, actually," he holds up the bouquet of flowers that he had just purchased. "His name is Blaine. And we're engaged!"

"Congratulations!" Rachel says excitedly. "That's so amazing!"

"It is! I'm going to start planning the wedding soon." He looks down at his watch, "And I actually need to get going. But we should get together soon and catch up some more."

"Yes! We should. Here..." Rachel pulls out her phone and hands it to him. "Save your number and I'll call you when I'm free."

"You'd better." He hands the phone back and shakes his head with a smile, "I still can't believe I ran into you. Crazy how life works out, right?"

She nods in agreement. Rachel of all people knows that this was true.

"I'll be waiting for that call!" Kurt says as he walks towards the door. "And it was nice meeting you, Quinn!"

"You too!" The girl reappears next to Rachel and takes her hand. "Are you ready to go?" she asks.

"Yes!" Rachel tilts her head up to kiss her. "Let's go."

* * *

It's already getting dark when they pull up in front of her house, but they can still see that there are several other cars outside that belong to her parents' guests. Quinn looks around carefully to make sure that there's no one else out there. She then kills the engine and looks at her phone to see a new text.

"Marley is almost here," she says.

Rachel nods and takes off her seatbelt. "I should probably go in first. Then you guys after a little while."

"You don't have to."

"It makes sense," she starts to open the car door.

"Rachel," Quinn grabs a hold of her elbow. "Can you please just stay here with me for a bit?"

Rachel sighs and closes the door, "Okay."

"I know that you're mad and -"

"I'm not mad at you," Rachel interrupts. "But I'm not exactly thrilled about this either," she mumbles.

Quinn gently strokes her hand with the pad of her thumb. "We don't have to do this. Just tell me, and I'll stop this whole thing."

Rachel shakes her head, "We're already this far. If we turn back now, Judy will just start asking you more questions."

The blonde sighs. It was true. She wishes things would be easier.

Marley's car pulls up behind them. Rachel takes a deep breath and opens the door again.

She turns back to Quinn to say, "And remember, nothing more than hand holding or hugging. If she kisses you, I swear to god, I'll kill her."

Quinn chuckles, "I know, baby. You can trust me."

"Well it's not _you_ that I'm worried about."

"Hey. I love you. And I'm all yours after this."

Rachel smiles, "I love you too. See you soon."

Quinn watches as she closes the door and rushes inside the house.

After a few moments, she gets out and walks towards Marley's car. The girl gets out as well.

"You look nice," Quinn compliments.

"You too," Marley grins. She looks toward the house, "Are you ready?"

"I guess so," she sighs. "Are you sure that you're okay with doing this?"

"You're my friend. Friends help each other out," Marley says.

"Right," Quinn murmurs. She still feels bad for both Marley and Rachel. But they might as well get this over with. "Shall we?"

She leads Marley into the house. They're greeted with a large amount of people in the downstairs area talking amongst each other. She spots her dad first in the living room with some colleagues. He sees them and smiles as Quinn walks up to him.

"Hey dad, have you seen mom?"

"Last I saw, she was in the kitchen."

Quinn nods, but Russell speaks again before she can go.

"So, is that her?" he subtly tilts his head to Marley on the other side of the room.

"Yeah, that's her."

"She's even prettier than I imagined. Make sure you introduce me later, kiddo."

"I will, dad," she smiles and makes her way back to Marley, saying hello to a few familiar faces along the way. The place was mainly comprised of her parents' co-workers from the hospital. Puck was invited, but he said that he would be busy and couldn't make it.

"This way," Quinn ushers Marley to the kitchen.

Before they go in, she stops and takes a deep breath, then pushes the door open.

She sees Judy, Rachel, and a few other older women sipping from wine glasses and laughing together.

Judy sees them come in and beams, "Quinn! You're back!"

She rushes over to greet them but keeps her excited eyes trained on Marley. "And who's this?"

Quinn clears her throat, "Mom, this is Marley."

Marley gives a perfect smile and shakes her hand, "It's nice to finally meet you. And this is such a lovely party. Thank you so much for inviting me."

"Aww, that's so sweet of you to say." Judy drops her hand and pulls her in for a hug instead. "I'm glad that Quinn has such a nice girl."

Quinn glances behind them to see Rachel downing her wine like it's water, all the while watching the exchange between Marley and Judy.

She grabs Marley's wrist and says to her mom, "Okay mom. We'll let you get back to your guests now."

"There's plenty of food if you're both hungry," Judy offers.

"Maybe in a little while," Quinn smiles as she and Marley leave the kitchen.

The older Fabray turns to Rachel and gushes, "What a great kid! She seems perfect for Quinn."

"I guess so. You seem to like her already," Rachel mumbles as she refills her wine glass.

"What's not to like? She's polite, gorgeous, and seems like she's really the perfect match for Quinn. I'm gonna try to talk to her more later. Poor Quinn probably doesn't want me to embarrass her."

"You know, you're right. Maybe you should talk to her more so you can really get to know her," Rachel suggests, being a little too forward.

Judy frowns, "What's with you?"

"Nothing. There's just something about her that I don't like. You know I have this thing about reading people."

Rachel knows that there's no turning back now with the whole Marley thing. But she was going to do her best to make it end as soon as possible. Even if if meant trying to get Judy to not like the girl.

"You're not always right, you know," Judy teases. "And you never know. Maybe this girl is the one. I was that young when I met Russell after all. And look at where we are now," Judy gestures to the party going on around them. "Twenty years later."

Rachel purses her lips and forces a smile. The thought of someone else being _the one_ for Quinn just wrecks her.

She raises her glass and says, "Well here's to you and Russell. And many more years to come."

Judy clinks her own glass against Rachel's, "I'll drink to that."

* * *

Quinn and Marley go to the backyard which was completely empty and sit down across from each other at the table on the patio.

The blonde lets out a puff of air, "That wasn't too bad."

"Not at all," Marley says. "And your mom seems wonderful."

"Thanks," Quinn smiles. "I think she liked you."

"You think?"

Both girls laugh. It was obvious that Judy absolutely adored Marley right away. But Quinn didn't know whether or not that was a good thing.

"Again, thank you for doing this for me," Quinn says. "And for Rachel. It's probably all too much for you by now."

"No, I've already told you it's fine. I'm happy to do this for you."

Quinn smiles. She doesn't know how she lucked out with such a good friend.

"How's Rachel holding up with all of this?" Marley asks.

She sighs, "She's definitely not happy. But she knows it's going to be okay in the end."

"Well despite everything, I'm enjoying myself."

"Really?" Quinn grins.

"Of course. You're a lot of fun. I like spending time with you."

Before Quinn has the chance to reply, the back door opens and Judy comes walking out.

Trying to keep up the facade, Marley reaches over and takes her hand like she's been holding it the whole time.

Rachel appears right behind Judy, but makes no movement to step out of the doorway.

"Hey girls!" Judy says as she sits down next to Marley. "Sorry Quinn, but I was wondering if I could have some alone time with Marley for a bit."

Quinn notices the subtle smirk on Rachel's face as she closes the door to go back inside. She turns to her mom, "Sure thing. Just try not to scare her too much."

Judy shoos her away, "I know. I promise I'll be nice."

She knows that her mom was planning her version of an interrogation and looks to Marley for any sign of discomfort, but the girl just smiles and gives the slight nod of her head.

"Okay then," Quinn says. "I'll be inside."

She leaves the two alone outside and steps in the house through the back door. She walks through the crowd of people and is barely able to see Rachel at the top of the stairs and turning the corner.

Glancing around, Quinn makes sure that no one is looking before she ascends the stairs to reach her love. She sees that the door to her bedroom is closed and smiles. She walks over and turns the knob to go inside.

Rachel is sitting at the edge of her bed and turns to her, smiles softly, "Hey you."

Quinn closes the door behind her. "Hey yourself," she answers back.

She goes to sit next to her girlfriend on the bed. "So, what brings you to my room?" she asks.

"Oh, you know," Rachel shrugs. "I just needed some alone time."

"Did you want me to leave you alone?" Quinn starts getting up, but is stopped by the older woman.

"No. Don't leave. I actually think you're just what I need right now. I have a problem."

Quinn raises an eyebrow, "Oh?" She then gulps when Rachel trails her hand along her thigh. "Maybe you can talk to me about it? I'm a very good listener."

Rachel looks up at her through her eyelashes. Quinn can tell that she's enjoying this little act that they're doing.

"Well you see, I saw the most beautiful girl downstairs," Rachel purrs.

"Did you?"

"Mhmm. But I don't think that she noticed me at all."

Quinn trails her fingertips along the woman's jawline. "I don't believe that."

"No?"

"Not at all. I think that she'd be crazy not to notice you," she says lowly.

"Why do you say that?" Rachel gasps when Quinn leans over to lightly suck at her neck.

"Because," she kisses the base of her throat. "You're gorgeous. And so damn sexy."

Rachel moans and grasps at her waist, "Really? I find that hard to believe."

"Well believe it." She pushes her girlfriend back on the bed and gently nudges her to lay on her stomach. She then hovers over her and whispers into her ear, "When I saw you, you made me so hard that I almost couldn't control myself."

The woman props herself up on her elbows and looks over her shoulder, "What did you want to do to me?"

"This." She grinds her erection down against Rachel's ass and both girls groan simultaneously. She plants her hands flat on either side of Rachel's head and continues her ministrations. "I wanted you to see how hard I was for you."

"Quinn," Rachel whimpers. "Keep going baby..."

Quinn continues to rub her bulge against Rachel's rear. "I wanted to go right up behind you, and lift up this skirt." She does exactly that and bunches up Rachel's skirt around her waist. She stares down at the glorious ass covered in black lace and licks her lips.

"And then what?" Rachel moves her hips back against her.

Quinn quickly unbuckles her belt and pulls down her jeans and boxers hallway down her thighs, freeing her thick member. She leans back down over Rachel and starts grinding herself against the woman, only this time without the confinement of her jeans.

"And then I would have ripped off your underwear, and thrust my cock so hard into you that you would've screamed."

"Baby," Rachel pants. "Did you lock the door?"

Quinn stops and looks at her bedroom door with a frown. "I don't have a lock."

"Quinn!" She pushes her off and jumps up from the bed. "Someone could walk in!"

"Well," the blonde looks down at her hard on. "Fuck."

Fuck indeed, Rachel thinks. She quickly looks around trying to think of something.

She tugs Quinn's arm to pull her up. "Get on the floor."

"What?"

Rachel slides off her panties from underneath her skirt and gestures to the space on the floor between the bed and the wall. "If someone walks in, they won't be able to see us right here. We just have to be quick."

It makes sense to Quinn. Or maybe not really. She doesn't know. She just needs to be somewhere inside of Rachel right now.

The woman lays down on the floor flat on her back and pulls Quinn down to settle between her legs.

Quinn reaches down and moves the tip of her stiff cock to Rachel's entrance. She brings both of her fists up to rest at the space above her girlfriend's head and swiftly pushes in.

"Yes...that's it," Rachel groans as Quinn fucks her with long, hard strokes.

"I can't believe how tight you still are," they both chuckle together.

Rachel fists her hands into Quinn's shirt as their bodies move together in perfect sync. "I want you to cum as much as you can inside of me. So I can still feel you when we go downstairs."

"Oh god," Quinn fuses their lips together in a hot kiss. "It's crazy how dirty you are sometimes."

"Only for you." Rachel grasps at her tighter.

The blonde rests their foreheads together as she continues to slide herself in and out.

...until she faintly hears the doorknob turning.

She freezes and quickly presses her finger to Rachel's lips, silently telling her to not make any noise.

Rachel hears the door opening as well and they both hold their breaths and stay completely still.

"Quinn?" Judy's voice sounds throughout the room.

Both of their eyes widen as they stare each other, neither one daring to make any type of movement.

While it's likely only a few seconds, time seems to drag on forever for them until they hear the door close.

Quinn still doesn't move until a few moments later, when she slowly raises her head to peek at the doorway.

"All clear," she whispers.

"I told you no one would see us down here," Rachel whispers back with a smirk. "We could have been caught in the worst way possible."

"Shut up, Rachel," Quinn mumbles as she starts thrusting her hips again.

"Then make me," she challenges.

The blonde tilts Rachel's face towards her and she brings their lips together again.

Their pace picks up as they get closer to their peaks. Their moans are drowned out in each other's mouths which was quite useful right now.

Rachel's cries are muffled as Quinn feels her slick walls squeezing her tighter. It just takes a few more thrusts until she's releasing herself.

"Mmph!" she grunts with each time spurt of liquid shooting out. She definitely didn't hold back on Rachel's request.

When she thinks she's completely done, she finally detaches her mouth from her girlfriend's.

She smiles as she tries to catch her breath. Rachel brushes the hair out of her face and presses a kiss to her forehead.

"That was harder than I thought it would be," she mumbles. "And I'm not just talking about your cock."

Quinn laughs and shakes her head, "I know that it's hard for you to be quiet."

"I resent that. But I love you anyway."

"I love you too." Quinn captures her lips once again.

When the kiss was starting to get needy, Rachel gently pushes her shoulders and says, "We need to get back downstairs."

Quinn sighs, "Yeah, we really should."

They both get up from the floor and Rachel looks around for her underwear while her girlfriend tries to get her jeans and boxers back up her legs.

And neither of them have time to process what's happening when the door swings open again.

"Hey Quinn, are you- Oh my god!" A shell shocked Marley covers her mouth as she gapes at them from the doorway.

"Shit!"

Quinn's instant reaction is to cover herself up, and she does just that. But it's too late. Marley's already seen...it.

Rachel moves in front of Quinn and throws a sharp glare at Marley, which finally snaps her out of it.

"Sorry. Um...sorry."

The girl suddenly turns around and slams the door behind her.

"Fuck," Quinn seethes as she gets her pants on the rest of the way. "She saw me."

"Shh, it's okay," Rachel says softly.

"I need to go talk to her."

"What for?"

Quinn frowns as she turns to her, "What do you think? She's probably freaked out and disgusted and running out the door right now."

"And? Why would you want to be friends with someone that can't accept you for everything that you are?"

"Rachel," she pinches the bridge of her nose. "You're not getting it. She could go and run her mouth off to everyone if she wanted to. The last thing I'd ever want is for the whole town to find out about me. I need to talk to her."

Rachel feels guilty when she thinks about that. She was secretly hoping that maybe Marley really would run away and they would never have to hear of her again. But Quinn is right...

"Okay, I'm sorry. Please don't be mad at me. Just go and I'll come out in a while so it doesn't look weird. All right?"

Quinn nods and turns to the door.

"Wait...I love you, Quinn."

The blonde smiles and pulls her in for a sweet, tender kiss. "I love you so much. And don't worry, I'm not mad at you. You didn't do anything wrong."

Rachel nods and watches as Quinn turns and quietly slips outside of her door, closing it behind her.

When she goes down the stairs, she spots her mom in the living room with some of her friends.

"Hey mom, have you seen Marley?"

Judy turns to her, "She just went out into the back. Where were you?"

"I was just in the bathroom. Haven't been feeling too good," she dramatically rubs her stomach for emphasis.

Her mom furrows her brow, "I checked the bathroom and you weren't there."

"That's weird. Because I was. Anyway, I don't wanna keep my _girlfriend_ waiting anymore," she says quickly.

"Oh okay." Judy smiles, "I really like her, by the way."

"I'm glad." Quinn doesn't give her a chance to answer before she rushes to go out the back door.

She sighs in relief when she sees Marley sitting down where they were before. The girl has her back turned to her so Quinn makes her presence known.

"Hey," she says softly as she walks over to her.

"Quinn!" Marley looks up, slightly startled.

She clears her throat and gestures to the chair across from her, "Is it okay if I sit down?"

"Of course." The girl's face is beet red as she avoids eye contact, looking at anything but Quinn.

"So," Quinn starts.

"So..." Marley finally turns to her, "I'm really sorry about what happened upstairs. I should've knocked and I'm just...really sorry."

"It's okay." Quinn treads carefully, "But um, I think that you saw something that you probably weren't expecting. Am I right?"

She's met with a nod. But when the other girl still doesn't say anything, she continues, "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." Marley blows out a puff of air, "I don't mean to be like this. I'm just...really confused."

Quinn swallows. She doesn't know if she could take being humiliated right now. But she has to trust that Marley wouldn't do that to her. "It's okay. You can ask."

Marley lowers her voice even though they're alone out there, "What is...no, of course I know what it is. But how is that possible? I mean, as far as I could always tell, you're a girl. A very pretty girl. I just don't understand."

She opens her mouth to reply, but is stopped when Marley keeps going, "Not that it's a bad thing! I swear that I'm not judging you. I mean, Unique is one of my best friends. But I know that's not the same thing."

Quinn smiles at her, "It's okay. You're confused and I get it. This is just kind of hard for me to talk about because...I never talk about it. It's just something I was born with. And you're right, I'm definitely a girl...except for that. The doctors were just as baffled."

"You were born with a...penis, but you still ended up being a girl?"

She shrugs, "Yeah, exactly."

"Oh..."

"I know that it's probably weird to you."

Marley shakes her head, "I don't think you're weird. You're just different. And there's nothing wrong with that."

Quinn feels like she could cry again. Why the hell does talking about her dick always make her so emotional?

"Thanks for understanding," she says. "And I would really appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone about this. I know that I've already been asking a lot of you. But -"

"Of course I won't tell anyone, Quinn. I wouldn't betray you like that."

"Okay." Quinn looks up at the sky and sighs in relief, "Wow, I feel like you know all of my biggest secrets by now."

Marley smiles, "You're just full of surprises, aren't you?"

"It seems that way. But I promise there's no more big surprises."

She pulls her phone out of her pocket to send a text to Rachel.

**Quinn: Everything's all good :)**

"Did you wanna head back inside?" she asks.

"Sure," Marley nods. "And I'm pretty sure this whole thing worked. Your mom can't stop asking me questions."

"Sorry if she gets overbearing," Quinn apologizes as they get up.

"Not at all. She's sweet."

They go inside to find Judy in the kitchen again, but with Russell this time.

Quinn takes the time to introduce Marley to her dad as her "girlfriend", while an ecstatic Judy continues gushing over them.

Right after he leaves to go back to the living room, Rachel walks into the kitchen to join them, and Quinn feels relief wash over her.

"Hey guys," she greets and gives brief smirk to Marley, who buries her head in Quinn's shoulder to hide her blush. The blonde just rolls her eyes.

"Hey, haven't seen you in a while," Judy comments.

"Oh! I just ran to my house to take care of something. No worries. Is everything okay?"

"Of course! Did you know that Marley here is a music major? Quinn said she's quite the singer."

Rachel fumes inside. This girl's into music and she can sing? It's like God is torturing her by throwing an upgraded, younger version of herself into Quinn's life.

"Really? I'm sure we'd love to see you perform sometime," she says.

"Yes! We would!" Judy beams. "You'll have to tell us when your performances are."

"I'll definitely keep you posted," Marley says. "But anyway, I really have to get going. I have...church in the morning. And it's already getting late. Thank you so much for allowing me over, Mrs. Fabray."

"Please, call me Judy. And Quinn, you're going to walk her out, right?"

"Of course, mom."

Judy wraps Marley into another hug, "I hope that you'll come by more often."

Rachel sure doesn't. She grabs the wine bottle and starts pouring herself another glass.

"Bye!" Marley says as Quinn ushers her out the front door.

When they're outside, she turns to the girl and asks, "Church? Really?"

"Hey, if I'm going to be someone's fake girlfriend, I'm going to be the _perfect_ girlfriend," she nudges Quinn in the side as both girls laugh.

"Thanks again. For everything," Quinn says as they reach the car.

Marley turns to her and frowns, "Quinn, if you don't mind me asking, how long is this supposed to go on for?"

She shakes her head, "I really don't know. But like I said, you're welcome to say stop whenever you want to."

"It's not that I mind, I'm just wondering."

"Oh. Okay."

Marley suddenly leans over and presses a kiss to her cheek. "I'll see you later," she smiles and gets into the car.

* * *

Rachel leans against the counter and sighs as Judy spies on Quinn and Marley from the window.

"Looks like they're just talking..." Judy says. "And talking."

"Mhmm," Rachel murmurs as she sips her wine.

"Come on, Quinn. Just kiss her already."

"Judy, do you have any idea how creepy you're being right now?"

"Shut up and drink your wine."

Rachel shrugs and does as she's told, "I'm just saying."

"Oh! Oh! Marley's leaning in!"

"What!" She pushes off the counter and marches to the window.

"Wait, false alarm. It's just a kiss on the cheek," Judy says dejectedly.

By the time she's able to look outside, Marley is already getting in the car and driving off. Yeah, she better run...

"Damn," Judy mumbles.

Quinn comes back into the kitchen and Judy can't help but hug her daughter.

"Quinn! Marley is perfect. We all love her."

She looks over her mom's shoulder to see Rachel shaking her head and mouthing 'no we don't'.

"I'm so glad that you found somebody," her mom says as she pulls away.

Quinn smiles and nods her head, "Thanks mom."

Judy regards her daughter with pride and admiration for a moment before saying, "Well anyway, I need to get back to the party."

"Okay, no problem."

"And Quinn, make sure that you eat," Judy calls out as she leaves the kitchen.

When she's gone, Quinn turns to Rachel, who was eyeing her with that possessive look again.

"What?" she asks.

"I heard that Marley kissed you."

She chuckles, "On the _cheek_ , Rachel."

"Is that so?" The older woman slowly glides over to stand with her face mere inches from Quinn's. She stares into those hazel eyes and says, "Just for that, you owe me _a lot_ of kisses later."

Quinn pecks her lips softly. "Well there's one."

Rachel takes a step back and smirks.

"You're being cute now. But just you wait." She then makes a show of exiting the kitchen with some slight swaying of her hips.

As she watches her go, Quinn knows that she's in for it later...


	18. Chapter 18

The lack of warmth that she's used to waking up to isn't there for some reason. Rachel opens her eyes to see that it's because Quinn isn't lying next to her.

She smiles when she hears the girl's soft voice coming from the living room and quickly gets up to stretch.

As she quietly leaves the bedroom, she sees Quinn laying down on the couch while talking on her phone, facing away from her.

"I miss you too," the blonde says sadly.

Rachel stops and frowns. Who is her girlfriend talking to?

Quinn suddenly laughs out loud. "Okay, Brittany. Tell Santana I said hi when she wakes up. I'll talk to you guys later."

When she hangs up the phone, Rachel continues walking and smiles, "Hey."

Quinn twists her head to look at her, "Hey. Good morning."

Rachel climbs on top of her and tucks her head under her chin. "I was wondering where you went."

"Brittany was calling and I didn't wanna wake you up," Quinn yawns.

"Isn't it like six in the morning over there?" she frowns.

"Yeah I know," Quinn chuckles and starts playing with Rachel's hair. "She's just strange like that."

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, she just wanted to fill me in on everything. Santana applied at a local college for the Spring semester. And she got a job waiting tables. And Brittany's doing great in her dance classes, of course."

"Mhmm," Rachel hums under Quinn's touch.

"But she said that they probably won't be coming back to Ohio for Christmas," Quinn sighs. "Brittany's parents told them to save their money and that they would try to go to California to see them instead. They're going to talk to Santana's parents about it."

Rachel brings Quinn's hand down and presses a kiss to her palm. She knows that the girl's been looking forward to seeing them ever since they left. "Well, we can always try to go down there after the holidays are over. It's cheaper to travel at that time."

"Yeah?" Quinn smiles. "I'd like that. I've never been to California. I've never even been outside of Ohio."

She feels like there's so many things that she has yet to learn about Quinn. All of the little things.

"You didn't go on any family vacations?"

"Not anywhere far," Quinn shrugs. "Just to a lake or something during the summers."

Rachel frowns. She knew that Russell and Judy were always busy. But she didn't think they were so busy that they couldn't do these things with their daughter.

"Did you like living in New York?" Quinn asks suddenly.

"I loved it," she smiles. She then gently pokes her girlfriend in the side, "But I wouldn't dream of ever going back there without you."

"I'd like to go there too. You know, to see what the big deal is," Quinn teases.

"We're gonna go. And then you will see what the big deal is."

"Okay Rachel," Quinn laughs.

New York and Quinn would be perfect, Rachel thinks. And the bonus would be that they'd also be able to get married there. Screw New York. Just being married to Quinn would be perfect...

"What are you thinking about?" Quinn nudges her.

"Nothing!" Rachel picks her head up to see the blonde arching an eyebrow at her. Quinn's probably going to think she has a problem with rushing into marriages all the time. "Sorry. Just got lost in my thoughts."

"Mhmm, I can see that."

"When the time is right, my love." Rachel coos and then scoots up to connect their lips.

Quinn doesn't know what Rachel means by that. But she figures that she shouldn't overthink it and lets it go this time.

"You have class, right?" Rachel asks as she pulls away.

"Yeah," Quinn groans. "Are you doing anything today?"

"I'm supposed to have lunch with Kurt. He finally has a free day."

She smiles, "That's great! Did you want to drop me off at school so you can meet him?"

"I was about to ask. Is that okay with you?"

"Of course!" Quinn was just glad that Rachel would have something to do without her besides being cooped up in the house.

Another thought crosses her mind and she frowns, "Do you think he would remember my mom and figure out that I'm her daughter?"

"I don't think so. He only met Judy once or twice back then. We're fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Quinn, trust me."

"Okay. Sorry." She just didn't want Rachel to lose friends because of her...

"Don't worry about it. Now come on. We need to start getting ready."

Quinn pouts as she allows Rachel to pull her up from the couch.

* * *

When she meets up with Kurt, Rachel is pleased to find that the familiar sense of comfort around him returns to her right away. It feels like it's been a lot less than eight years since she last saw him.

They met at a small café per his suggestion. She had never heard of it and figured that it was new. But nevertheless, she still enjoyed the warm atmosphere as well as the company of her former best friend.

After catching up for a while and asking him endless questions, Rachel found out that Kurt was now the general manager of the Calvin Klein store at the mall, which didn't surprise her one bit. But he was hoping to move up to work at the corporate office.

He was also telling her about his fiancé, Blaine. Apparently Blaine went to high school with them, but he was a year younger so Rachel never had the chance to meet him back then. But as fate would have it, he and Kurt came across each other at Kurt's store one day about four years ago. Blaine had asked him out, and they've been together ever since.

With that, Rachel began filling him in with how everything fell apart with Finn and how she ended up back in Lima. Once again, she was thankful that Kurt didn't seem to hold any grudges against her.

"I can't say I'm surprised. I warned you about him," Kurt remarks as she's talking about Finn.

She blows out a puff of air, "Everyone warned me. And if I had been smart enough to actually listen, I wouldn't have wasted eight years of my damn life."

"I wouldn't call it a waste. Everything happens for a reason. So who knows? Maybe you weren't meant to come back to Lima until now," he smiles.

Rachel thinks about his words and smiles to herself, thinking of Quinn and how everything worked out for them.

Sensing where her mind went, Kurt asks, "So, tell me about Quinn. How did you guys meet?"

Recalling the story she made up earlier, she says, "I met her while I was at work one night."

"Ooh, so like me and Blaine," he beams. "Go on."

"We just talked for a while and…connected. It didn't take much to fall for her," she shrugs.

"Come on, Rachel. There's gotta be more than that," he pries. "Who asked who out on the first date?"

"She asked me out on the first date." Which was actually true. Rachel was trying to be as broad as she could about her and Quinn. And now she's getting anxious that she's overdoing it. "And we've been going out since June," she adds.

"So about four months now. And you're already in love. Interesting…"

Rachel frowns, "What?"

"Nothing. It's just that you jump into things quickly. Like with Finn."

"That was different," she says defensively. "I rushed things with Finn because he was my ticket out of Lima."

"I know. I get it," he says quickly. "The idea of getting out of this God forsaken town would appeal to most."

"But it's not like that with Quinn," she says with conviction. "I'm trying not to rush things with her. But at the same time, I've never felt so sure about anyone before."

Kurt doesn't say anything. So she continues, "I really do love her."

"I believe you. But I feel like I don't know much about this mysterious Quinn. How old is she?"

She rolls her eyes, "Younger."

"What does she do?"

"She works at the Lima Bean." Rachel licks her lips, "And she's a student."

"College student, I hope?" Kurt asks with a smirk.

She chuckles, "Yes a college student. She's not _that_ young."

"Does she go to the University here in Lima?"

"Yeah, not like there's many other choices around here."

"Does she still live at home?"

Rachel hesitates, "Yes, she does. But she practically lives at my place at this point."

"Have you guys…you know."

Her eyes widen, "Kurt!"

"Sorry," he laughs. "Too far. I know. I forgot how prude you were."

She scoffs, "Oh, no you didn't. For your information, yes we do. And yes, it's amazing with her." Rachel thinks about how she sucked Quinn off the night before and blushes.

Getting her mind out of the gutter, she keeps going, "And Quinn always treats me right. She makes me feel like the luckiest girl."

He nods. "Well, I suppose she gets my seal of approval. For now."

"Oh, hush."

"And I still wanna get to know her more and also spend more time catching up with you. So why don't we just kill two birds with one stone. Are you both free Saturday night?"

She side eyes him and carefully says, "I think so…why do you ask?"

"Blaine and I are going to open mic night at this local gay bar. You and Quinn should come. Like a double date," he smiles.

Rachel blinks at him, "Lima has a gay bar now?"

He bursts out in laughter and says, "A lot's changed since you left. Yes, there's a gay bar here now. And it's actually not half bad. Open mic nights are mostly the gay drunks attempting to sing on stage. It's always entertaining. So, what do you say? Saturday night?"

"I don't know, Kurt. I don't think Quinn would even be able to get in."

"So she's not twenty-one yet…" he smirks.

She playfully glares at him, "Fine, that's your next clue. She's younger than twenty-one."

He nods, "Well, it's an eighteen and up bar anyway. She just can't drink while we're there."

Rachel sighs, "I'll talk to her about it and see if she wants to go."

Kurt bounces in his seat in excitement, "Awesome! Hey, maybe you can sing something while we're there. I know Blaine's probably gonna sing."

She shakes her head quickly, "I haven't performed in such a long time. And Quinn hasn't even heard me sing yet."

He gapes at her, "I'm sorry, did I hear that correctly? Quinn hasn't heard you sing yet?"

She frowns, "No, not really."

"All the more reason for you to sing! Come on, Rachel!"

"I don't know…"

"Hey, the Rachel Berry I knew would never have turned down the chance to sing in front of a crowd!"

She smiles at him, "I'll think about it, okay?"

He shakes his head and mumbles, "I can't believe Quinn's never heard you sing."

"Well I don't know! I never bothered trying to find work performing in New York since Finn always told me that it was just a waste of time. And it just kind of discouraged me for a while."

"Okay, first of all, Finn's an idiot. Second of all, you're going to blow Quinn away. Trust me. I'm sure you've still got it."

Rachel bites her lip as she thinks about it to herself for a moment. If she's going to sing for Quinn, she has to be perfect.

"I guess I have some practicing to do."

"Yay!"

* * *

Rachel was pleasantly surprised when Quinn gladly agreed to go with them. She even switched shifts at work so she'd be able to come. They had never been to a place like this together before, so Rachel was a little anxious to see how it would go.

"Santana told me about this place once," Quinn says as they step in the bar and take everything in.

It was like most of the small bars that Rachel had been to in New York. There were round tables all over the floor and booths along the sides of the walls, as well as a small stage near the back. The place was reeking of sweat and cigarettes, and she grimaces at the sound of the woman currently screeching into the microphone on the stage to what she guesses is a drunken rendition of _What's Up?_ by 4 Non Blondes.

"Hey, isn't that Kurt over there?" Quinn shouts over the music.

Rachel looks to where she's pointing to see that it was indeed Kurt snuggling up next to another man in one of the booths. She assumes that this guy is Blaine.

"Yeah." She turns to Quinn with a smile and takes her hand, "Come on."

Kurt immediately jumps up when he sees them approaching. He pulls Rachel into a hug and squeals, "I'm glad you both came!"

"I told you we would!" Rachel says.

He ignores her and turns to pull an unprepared Quinn into a surprise hug as well. "Thanks for coming out with us, Quinn."

She steps back and smiles at him, "It's no problem."

Blaine stands up next to Kurt and grins at them, "Hello, you must be Rachel. I'm Blaine."

Rachel shakes his hand politely and says, "It's nice to meet you. Kurt has told me so much about you."

"Likewise," he winks.

Blaine was easily likeable. He seemed like a sweet gentleman. But Quinn was having a hard time _not_ focusing on all of the gel in his hair. Seriously, did he use a whole bottle?

Rachel nudges her, "And this is my girlfriend, Quinn."

"Hello," she smiles as she shakes his hand. "Nice to meet you."

"We were just about to head to the bar," Kurt announces. "Would you ladies like anything to drink?"

"Vodka and cranberry for me," Rachel says quickly.

"What about you, Quinn?" Blaine asks.

She holds up her hand where a giant X was marked with sharpie, "I'll just have a water."

"Oh, okay," Blaine says, clearly surprised.

Kurt sends a smirk Rachel's way. "We'll be back!"

"What was that about?" Quinn asks as she and Rachel settle in the booth together.

"Oh nothing. Kurt just likes to tease me."

Quinn nods with a chuckle. "They seem like really good guys."

"Mhmm," Rachel agrees absently as she watches Quinn's phone going off on the table with a text from Marley asking what she was up to.

Quinn glances at the screen and puts the device in her purse. "Sorry. I won't use my phone at all while we're out. I promise," she smiles as she leans closer to Rachel.

"Thank you." Rachel takes Quinn's hand to hold in both of her own. She lazily draws her nails up and down the girl's fingers. "Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?"

And she was. Quinn looked like a model pulled right out of a fashion magazine, Rachel thinks. And her blonde hair was perfectly curled and Rachel couldn't wait to run her fingers through it later.

"Only about three times since we left the house," Quinn laughs. "But thank you. And I know I've already told you how gorgeous you are."

"I wouldn't mind hearing it again."

Quinn leans over to capture her lips for a brief moment. "You're beautiful. And I love you," she says softly.

"I love you too," Rachel says as she stares adoringly into hazel eyes. She can't help herself and leans in to steal another kiss.

"Whoa there. Are we gonna have to separate you two?" Kurt laughs as he and Blaine return to the table with drinks.

Rachel pulls away and grins sheepishly at them. She then eagerly takes her drink while Quinn smiles gratefully as Blaine hands her a glass of water.

"So, when did you two meet?" Blaine asks as he and Kurt settle across from them.

"Over the summer," Rachel answers quickly. "Right after I moved back from New York."

"Oh. Kurt mentioned that you were in school, Quinn. What are you studying?"

Before she can even open her mouth to speak, Quinn is interrupted by her girlfriend. "Quinn's undecided for now. But she's an excellent writer," Rachel gushes.

"Oh. Okay. Are you working as well?"

"She works part time at the Lima Bean."

Quinn locks eyes with an amused Kurt and just shrugs.

Deciding to help her out a bit, Kurt leans over to Rachel and whispers, "I think Quinn can answer for herself."

"Oh." Rachel turns to her and rubs her hand apologetically. "Sorry."

"It's okay, baby," Quinn chuckles. "So anyway, what do you do, Blaine?"

"I'm a show choir director. I was a coach for the glee club at Dalton for about five years. And actually…" he turns to Kurt who starts bouncing excitedly in his seat.

"You're gonna love this, Rachel," he says to the confused woman.

"What?" she asks.

"I was actually offered a position by one Principal Figgins," Blaine smiles. "He wants to bring back a glee club at McKinley. So I'm starting next week."

"What!" Rachel shouts, startling Quinn a little bit. "They're bringing back the glee club?"

Kurt nods enthusiastically, "Yes! Isn't that great?"

"That's amazing!" Rachel beams. "So how's this going to work? Isn't Sectionals usually in December? Are you going to have a club ready by then? With enough members?"

"Well from what Figgins has told me, there's several students that have been asking to start a glee club," Blaine explains. "So I think there was enough interest to generate the budget to reboot the club. I'm assuming we'll get plenty of members with no problem."

"This is so exciting! Maybe they can go all the way to Nationals, like we did!" she says to Kurt.

"That's what we're hoping! I told Blaine he'd be crazy not to take the job."

Quinn watches as Rachel goes back and forth with Blaine and Kurt. She's never seen the woman this excited over something before. She loves it…

Their conversation is temporarily halted when a very gay man starts bawling the words to _Don't Speak_ on the stage. At least that's what Quinn thinks he's trying to sing. The guy playing an acoustic guitar looks miserable with every single person that's come up so far to sing.

"Jesus…" Kurt mumbles.

"I think it's a 90's themed night or something," Blaine remarks.

Quinn nudges Rachel with a smirk, "I told you that the 90's are gonna follow you everywhere for the rest of your life."

The woman rolls her eyes, "Whatever, Quinn."

The two couples watch on as the drunk man finishes the rest of the song, and then awkwardly clap along with everyone else at the bar.

"Well okay," the guitar plays says into the microphone. "So, which one of you would like to come up next?"

"Right here!" Kurt shouts while pointing at Rachel. All heads turn to her. "She wants to go up next!"

"Kurt!" she hisses. "I'm not ready to go up there yet. I need _at least_ a couple more drinks."

"Are you coming up?" the impatient guitar player asks.

"Rachel, it's your time to shine."

"But Kurt!"

"I'm sure you'll be great," Quinn suddenly whispers into her ear. "Come on, baby. I want to see you up there."

Rachel looks at her girlfriend and nods with a sigh. She then stands and there's a round of applause as she makes her way to the stage.

"Woo Rachel!" Kurt cheers the loudest, making her that much more nervous.

Quinn watches as she walks on the stage over to the guy with the guitar. She whispers something in his ear, causing him to nod with a smile.

Rachel then goes to the microphone and adjusts it down to her height.

"So…I'd like to dedicate this to my girlfriend, Quinn," she says softly. A chorus of 'aww' is echoed throughout the bar.

The man starts slowly strumming the guitar and soon, Rachel's melodic voice fills the room.

_"I had no choice but to hear you,_

_You stated your case time and again,_

_I thought about it."_

Quinn's breath gets caught in her throat as she listens to this heavenly voice.

_"You treat me like I'm a princess,_

_I'm not used to liking that,_

_You ask how my day was."_

Several onlookers cheer her on, making Rachel gain a bit more confidence.

_"You've already won me over in spite of me,_

_And don't be alarmed if I fall head over feet,_

_And don't be surprised if I love you for all that you are,_

_I couldn't help it,_

_It's all your fault."_

Quinn doesn't know how, but she just fell even more in love with Rachel.

_"You are the bearer of unconditional things,_

_You held your breath and the door for me,_

_Thanks for your patience."_

Kurt glances at the look of pride and admiration on Quinn's face with a smile. He knows he did Rachel a favor…

_"You're the best listener that I've ever met,_

_You're my best friend…_

_Best friend with benefits."_

She throws a wink at a blushing Quinn and earns another quick round of applause.

_"What took me so long?_

_I've never felt this healthy before,_

_I've never wanted something rational,_

_I am aware now,_

_I am aware now,"_

Quinn wonders why the hell she was stupid enough to wait until now to hear Rachel sing. She can feel it in her heart that Rachel was born to do this. Why didn't she ever see it until now?

_"You've already won me over in spite of me,_

_And don't be alarmed if I fall head over feet,_

_And don't be surprised if I love you for all that you are,_

_I couldn't help it,_

_It's all your fault…"_

The guitar slowly plays the rest of the song out, and Rachel is met with a standing ovation from everyone at the bar. Especially from her friends and girlfriend.

"Wow…" the guitar player says into the microphone. "Thank you for that, miss. And I think that wraps it up for me tonight, so I'm gonna turn it over to the jukebox now. Goodnight everyone!"

Rachel makes her way back to the table with a bounce in her step. Quinn stands and swoops her in for a searing kiss, earning quite a few catcalls from people around them.

Their lips move together effortlessly, and Rachel moans when their tongues begin to slide against each other.

After a moment, she pulls back to catch her breath and smiles up at Quinn, "Was I any good?"

"Rachel," she leans down for a quick peck. "You were perfect."

"I told you that you still got it," Kurt calls out from the table.

Rachel shushes him and pulls Quinn with her to sit down again. "I'm surprised you all think so. I haven't really sung in years."

"I think this calls for a celebration," Kurt announces before standing. "I'm getting shots!"

He quickly runs off to the bar with Blaine leaving the two girls alone.

Quinn turns to the older woman and silently studies her.

"What?" Rachel asks with a smile.

The blonde leans over for another slow kiss. She pulls away and rests their foreheads together. "Nothing. I just love you."

Rachel softly cups her cheek and whispers, "I love you too."

"Here we are!" The two men return with a tray of shot glasses fill with god knows what. "Blaine is driving. So it looks like it's just you and me, Rachel."

She immediately turns to Quinn and asks, "Is this okay with you?"

"Of course, baby," Quinn reassures. "Let loose and have some fun. I'll be right here next to you."

Rachel grins and she and Kurt each grab a shot.

Kurt smirks and holds his glass up, "Cheers!"

* * *

A couple of hours later, Blaine is leaning over the table attempting to talk to Quinn over the music.

"I think they've had enough!" he shouts.

"I think you're right!"

The drunk duo had decided to jump on the stage and sing along with the music coming out of the jukebox. Well, Rachel was singing while Kurt was attempting some very strange and exotic dance moves behind her…

But nevertheless, the crowd seemed to love it.

_"I don't want anyone anybody else,_

_When I think about you,"_

She points directly at Quinn.

_"I touch myself!_

_Ohh, I don't want anybody else…"_

Rachel then proceeds to use the hand that wasn't holding the microphone and run it all over her torso.

"Oh my god," Quinn covers her face with her hands and blushes profusely.

Blaine chuckles and says, "I think it's time to get those two home."

* * *

On the drive back to her house, Rachel had passed out in the car. When they finally arrive, Quinn looks over at the sleeping beauty and lightly nudges her.

"Hey, we're home," she says softly.

The woman's eyes slowly open. She sits up and takes in her surroundings.

"We're home?"

"Yes, Rachel."

Quinn then gets out of the car and helps her stumbling girlfriend up the driveway and to the front door.

"You're staying over, right?" Rachel slurs with her eyes half open.

"Of course I am."

"Oh. Okay."

Luckily, it's not too much of a struggle getting Rachel to her room and changed for bed. As soon as she gets the woman to lay down under the covers, Quinn changes as fast as she can and lays down next to her.

Rachel blindly reaches over and pulls herself into Quinn's side. She snuggles into her and mumbles, "I think I got drunk."

"I think you did too. It's okay. I'm here."

Rachel lightly scratches at Quinn's shoulder. "And I'm too tired for sex. I'm sorry, baby."

Quinn snorts, "That wasn't even on my mind, Rach."

"I want to. But I'm so tired…" Rachel mumbles.

The blonde presses a light kiss to her forehead. "Go to sleep, my love."

"Mmm," Rachel sighs. "You're so good to me."

"Well, I can't help it. I just love you so much."

She rubs Rachel's back gently, helping her drift off to sleep.

"Quinn?"

"Hmm?"

"Can I ask you something?" Rachel murmurs.

"You can ask me anything."

"Are you…" the woman dozes off for a moment before coming back. "Are going to marry me one day?"

Quinn stops rubbing her back and smiles curiously down at her. "Do you want me to marry you, Rach?"

"Yes."

The room is silent for a moment before Rachel starts snoring softly, much to Quinn's amusement.

She holds her closer and softly strokes her hair.

"One day. I promise."


	19. Chapter 19

It was already one week into November, and Lima found itself in the early stages of winter. Not to where there was snow yet, but almost there. And Rachel loved this weather. "Handholding weather." Or so she calls it.

She was snuggling up with Quinn on the couch next to the fireplace on a particularly cold afternoon. Quinn had just gotten out of class about twenty minutes prior, and she wasted no time in rushing back to be in her girlfriend's arms.

"How are your classes going?" Rachel asks as she strokes the blonde head on her lap.

Quinn shrugs, "Good I guess. I have all A's right now."

"Of course you do," Rachel chuckles.

"Mhmm," Quinn hums. "The semester is going by fast."

"That's a good thing. Just one more month until Christmas break!"

Quinn quirks an eyebrow up at Rachel, "You seem more excited than I am."

"Of course I am. I'll get to have you more to myself again."

The younger girl shakes her head with a light laugh.

After a moment, she asks, "Did you do anything today?"

"Hmm, I talked to Blaine for a while."

"Blaine?"

"He called me."

"Oh."

It was no surprise, as Rachel had been spending more time with Blaine and Kurt ever since she reconnected with her former best friend. And Quinn was glad for that. Now Rachel could have someone else in her life to talk to.

She can feel Rachel's leg slightly bouncing in excitement and senses that the woman is eager to tell her something.

She smiles. "And what did you and Blaine talk about?" she asks as she sits up on the couch.

"He asked me if I would consider being the assistant coach for the McKinley glee club," Rachel blurts out.

Quinn's eyes widen. "Really?"

The woman nods fervently, "Yes! I mean—I won't really be getting paid for it."

"But still! Baby, this is a great opportunity for you."

"I know," Rachel grins. "I'm so relieved that you're supporting me with this."

"Are you crazy? Why wouldn't I?"

"I don't know. I just –"

Rachel hesitates. She knows that she has to stop assuming that Quinn will eventually tell her pursuing something in music is just a waste of time. But this isn't her failed marriage. Quinn's already made it clear that she would support her no matter what.

"I just love you," she says sincerely.

Quinn frowns, "Rachel, you know I love you too. And who cares whether you get paid for this or not? You get to do something you love and that's good enough for me."

She leans forward to connect her lips with the older woman's.

"I don't deserve you," Rachel murmurs.

Quinn rolls her eyes, "Shut up and let me kiss you."

Rachel has no protest to that. But their moment is short lived when Quinn's phone starts ringing.

She pulls it out of her pocket and glances at the screen.

"I have to take this," she says to Rachel apologetically.

Before Rachel can ask who the hell it is that's important enough to interrupt a make out session, Quinn swipes the screen and answers. "Hey mom."

Rachel purses her lips and doesn't dare speaking another word.

"Oh no. I'm just with Marley."

It stings to hear Quinn say those words. But she knows that they agreed on this whole thing together, sort of. Yet it still hurts. Rachel breaks eye contact with Quinn and looks away.

Quinn gently cups her face to look at her again, but suddenly drops her hand and frowns.

"Tonight?"

Rachel furrows her brow in confusion. What about tonight?

"I guess I can ask," Quinn says into the phone. "Okay mom. I'll see you at home."

She hangs up the phone and looks at Rachel.

"What did she say?" Rachel asks.

"She wants me to invite Marley over for dinner tonight."

"Oh." Rachel nods. She's not surprised since Judy absolutely adored Marley.

"Don't worry. I'll just tell her that she's busy or something and couldn't make it."

"No, it's fine," she says quickly. "Judy hasn't seen her around that much lately. Wouldn't want her to start asking questions."

Quinn frowns. "Rachel –"

"It's fine, Quinn."

She just wants to prove for once that she's not the jealous, overbearing girlfriend.

Before Quinn can retort, Rachel's phone starts ringing from the dining room table. Rachel gets up from the couch and heads over to see a phone call from her sister.

She locks eyes with Quinn and takes a deep breath before answering, "Hello Judy."

Quinn cocks her head and listens intently. She already knows why her mother is calling Rachel. But she still wants to see what Rachel will do.

"Oh? What time?"

Looks like it's going to be another awkward family affair, Quinn sighs.

"Sounds great. I'll be there. Bye."

Rachel turns to Quinn and frowns at the look of worry on her face. "What's wrong? Do you not want me there?"

Quinn shakes her head and stands up to walk to Rachel. "Of course I want you there. I just don't want you to be upset again."

"What if I promised to keep it to myself?" Rachel smiles half heartedly.

The blonde presses a kiss to her cheek. "Never keep anything to yourself. I always want you to be honest with me. So I want you to really be sure that you're okay with tonight?"

Rachel blows out a puff of air. She really does miss her sister. And while she'll probably be annoyed for most of the night, having Quinn close by is always worth it. And she also has to make sure that Marley bitch doesn't try to pull anything.

"Don't worry, Quinn. I'm okay."

* * *

Dinner was going just the way Rachel had expected. Judy was gushing all over an annoyingly happy Marley. Everyone else was just furniture. Seriously, what an attention whore, Rachel thinks.

The woman was sitting across from Quinn, who was talking about school or something to Russell while Rachel just sat there awkwardly. Maybe it was only her that was the furniture?

She had tried to get Quinn's attention at different times throughout the evening. Just a moment of eye contact or something. But nothing.

Rachel knew that they always had to be careful in Russell and Judy's presence, but that didn't mean Quinn had to completely ignore her.

"Quinn loves that book." Marley takes a pause from talking to Judy to turn and say, "Right Quinn?"

"Mhmm." Quinn doesn't even know what they're talking about. But whatever.

Rachel scoffs.

Quinn feels something lightly nudge her foot. When her dad is looking away, she looks up to lock eyes with her girlfriend. Her _actual_ girlfriend.

Rachel is giving her that expression she has when they both say they love each other. Quinn feels a pull in her stomach and wants so badly to utter those words right now.

"Quinn?"

They turn to see her parents and Marley standing up from the table and all looking at her with questioning gazes.

"I was just saying that it's getting late and I should probably get home."

"Oh, right!" She stumbles out of her chair to join them while Rachel suppresses a laugh. Quinn can be so cute sometimes.

They all gather by the front door, ready to say bye to Marley, when Judy asks, "Isn't Quinn staying the night with you? She's been there all week so I figured she would. Not that I mind, of course!"

Marley's eyes widen. "I..." She looks to Rachel, who gives a very subtle nod of her head. "...I think so?"

"So I guess I'll see you at your house?" Quinn asks.

Marley nods before she's sucked into another ridiculous hug by Judy, causing Rachel to roll her eyes.

After the girl makes her rounds on everyone and is finally out the door, Judy turns to Quinn and sternly says, "I hope you're being safe, Quinn."

"Mom!" Quinn blushes and looks down at the floor.

"I think Marley is wonderful. You know that. I just don't want you both to get caught up with some unexpected responsibilities while you're both young." Judy turns to her husband, "Russell, help me out here?"

He clears his throat, "I think Quinn is mature enough to make the right decisions."

"Thanks dad." Quinn turns to Judy. "And anyway, I'm leaving now."

She gives each of her parents a brief hug and smiles at the other person with them. "I'll see you later, Rachel."

When Quinn wraps her arms around her, Rachel can feel her lips sneakily brushing against her ear, causing her to squeeze tighter.

But Quinn suddenly pulls away too soon for her liking and is rushing out the door.

"I think I'm gonna take off too," Rachel yawns. "It's been a long day."

"Sure thing. We're beat too," Judy says. "Oh, and congratulations on that glee coaching thing at McKinley you were talking about earlier. I know you'll be great at it."

"Thank you." Rachel smiles, because _finally_ , she exists. "Good night."

* * *

Quinn parks her car in Rachel's garage like she's been doing over the past month. Mainly to keep her parents from noticing her always being there instead of at Marley's.

Once inside, she plops down on the couch and turns on the tv. She's only there for five minutes before Rachel walks in through the front door.

She sits up says, "Hey."

"Hey," Rachel replies softly before heading straight to the bedroom.

Quinn frowns and turns off the tv and goes to the bedroom as well. She sees Rachel changing out of her clothes.

"You're going to bed already?"

"Yeah, I'm just tired," the woman answers.

When she disappears into the bathroom, Quinn takes the time to change herself and lie down.

After a few minutes, Rachel emerges and turns off the light. She climbs into the bed and lies on her side, facing away from Quinn.

Quinn thinks this is strange, as Rachel has never done this before. She scoots over and carefully molds herself into Rachel's form from behind.

"Are you okay?"

She feels Rachel nod her head, but hears nothing come from her.

She tries again, "I think tonight went pretty well."

"Do you?" Rachel finally speaks.

Quinn furrows her brow, "What?"

The older woman shifts to turn around and face her. "Do you really think it went well?"

Quinn shrugs, "I mean yeah, with all things considered. It could've been worse."

"Like worse than you ignoring me all night?"

"Rachel..."

"Well it's true, Quinn. When I said I was okay with going tonight, I didn't mean I wanted you to pretend that I don't even exist while you play happy couple with Marley."

"I didn't touch her once. You were there," she quips back.

Rachel sits up, agitated. "That's not the point, Quinn."

"Okay. I'm sorry." Quinn wraps a hand around the woman's wrist to gently pull her back down. "I'm just so worried about my mom finding out that I overthink it and try too hard. I'm sorry, Rachel. It won't happen ever again. I love you."

"I love you too," Rachel sighs. "And I know I said I'm okay with it, but honestly, it hurts too much. I don't want to keep up this whole charade with Marley anymore."

"Okay," Quinn says quickly.

Rachel frowns, "Okay?" That's it? No protest from Quinn?

"It's done. I'll tell my mom that things ended between me and her. I'll tell her tomorrow. The whole thing was probably stupid anyway."

When Quinn says this, Rachel can't help but feel elated. But she still has to be sure that Quinn isn't making snap decisions just because Rachel tells her to do something.

"Quinn, I want you to be really sure about this. That you really think it's best and not just because your girlfriend is overly possessive and you don't want to piss her off."

"Rach," Quinn chuckles. "Don't say that about yourself. And you are always my first priority. I told you that all you had to do was say the word and it would be done. I don't care about anything else. As long as you're happy."

"Thank you," Rachel says softly. "I'm surprised you can even put up with me anymore."

"We're in this together, baby. You're worth everything."

With that, Rachel grabs Quinn by the back of the neck and fuses their lips together in a needy kiss that Quinn eagerly returns.

When the younger girl pulls away, Rachel doesn't let her go very far.

"I love you," she whispers. "And I need you right now."

"I'm here," Quinn husks as she places kisses all over her chest. "I'm right here."

Rachel's breath hitches when she feels a soft hand cup her through her underwear. She quickly pulls Quinn's shirt off and brings their lips back together.

She lifts her hips and hikes her short night gown up when Quinn starts tugging her underwear down her long legs.

"Quinn," she moans.

She pushes the blonde onto her back and wastes no time in stripping her of her boxers. She then disappears under the covers to gladly take the hard member into her mouth.

"Oh god. Baby," Quinn groans. She reaches down to stroke Rachel's head as she expertly works her mouth up and down her shaft. "You're so good at that."

When she can't take the throbbing in her core anymore. Rachel releases Quinn's cock from her mouth and places a soft kiss on the head before crawling back up her body.

She straddles the girl and Quinn leans up to eagerly meet her in another passionate kiss.

"Fuck," Quinn's falls back on the bed when Rachel takes ahold of her member and easily impales herself on it. "Rachel..."

They fall into a fast paced rhythm and Quinn knows she may not last very long. She grabs ahold of her girlfriend's hips in an attempt to switch positions so she can be on top, but Rachel doesn't seem to be letting her. So Quinn just lays back as she allows her to take control.

The woman pulls the nightgown over her head before leaning down onto her elbows and placing both hands on Quinn's face, tenderly tracing her features in the dark.

When Quinn feels fingertips dragging across her lips, she lightly kisses them and increases the pace of her thrusting.

Rachel sits back upright and pleads, "Touch me, Quinn."

The girl does as she's told and covers Rachel's breasts with her hands, massaging the peaks to stiffen.

"You're so beautiful," Quinn murmurs. She can barely see Rachel above her with the soft moonlight coming in from the window, and she can easily see how amazing she looks right now. "You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

She uses one hand to hold her steady by the waist while the other caresses her neck.

"Keep going," Rachel pants.

"I could watch you all day. I always ask myself how could I have found something so perfect? God..."

She moves her palm along the side of Rachel's face, drinking her in. She knows how much Rachel needs this right now.

Quinn suddenly sits herself up and wraps her arms around her waist. Their foreheads rest together as their hips keep moving.

"That's it, baby," Quinn moans.

Rachel pulls in Quinn's head to rest against the crook of her neck. They're both getting closer to the edge.

"And you have the most beautiful heart." Quinn kisses her chest over where her heart should be. "I love you, Rachel."

Their hips frantically move as they hold each other like their last lifelines. Quinn finds herself wishing they could somehow be even closer than they are right now.

As soon as Rachel reaches her climax, Quinn is releasing inside of her. It's the same euphoric experience they've already shared many times before. But for Quinn, it's always as if it's the first time.

She cries out into Rachel's shoulder, and doesn't loosen her hold until she's feels herself completely empty.

After a few minutes, when she's able to breathe normally again, Rachel leans up to kiss the top of Quinn's head.

"I love you too."

* * *

Judy was incredibly upset when she was told that Quinn and Marley had broken up. Quinn had expected this much. She also knows that her mom can be quite overdramatic at times.

She tried to be as vague as she could when explaining it to Judy, even though the older Fabray relentlessly asked her question after question.

In the end, all Quinn had to say was just that it didn't work out and that she'll find the right person eventually.

Judy finally gave in and said that she just hopes Quinn will be happy. Quinn had sighed in relief and thought that was one of the longest hours of her life.

She did it the day after she and Rachel had talked, like she promised. That was over a week ago. And everything seemed to be okay now. Or so she thought.

After her classes are over for the day, Quinn heads over to McKinley to pick up Rachel after glee club was finished meeting.

Speaking of glee club, Rachel had been loving it so far. Seeing these kids with so much potential was really starting to inspire her to do even more. She could feel the excitement from her teenage years returning.

"And when me and Blaine sang that duet together, they went absolutely crazy! You should've seen it."

"Maybe I can come by sometime and watch? I'll just sit in the corner or something," Quinn smiles as they enter Rachel's house. "Or is that too creepy?"

"I'm sure Blaine would be fine with it." They settle together on the couch. Rachel rests her head on Quinn's shoulder. "I'm not sure about Sue Sylvester though."

"Well she loves me, so that shouldn't be a problem."

Rachel snorts, "That just proves my point that everyone loves you, Quinn."

"Oh hush." Quinn leans in to kiss her smirking girlfriend.

When they pull apart, Rachel husks, "I traded my shift to be off for the night." She trails her hand up and down the blonde's arm. "I was thinking that we could do something special and go out tonight?" she asks hopefully.

Quinn frowns, "I already told Marley that we would hang out tonight."

Rachel suddenly jerks back and scowls. "Marley? Seriously? I thought we were done with that whole thing with her?"

"Rach," Quinn chuckles. "We are. But that doesn't mean she's not my friend anymore."

With the broken look on Rachel's face, Quinn realizes this is apparently a much bigger problem than she thought.

"Hey, I'll just tell her tonight's no good, okay? And we can spend time together. Just you and me," she tries.

"No, it's okay. Just forget it." Rachel gets up from the couch and marches straight to the bedroom.

"It's not a big deal. I can just tell her some other time," Quinn says as she chases after her.

"I said forget it, Quinn," the woman repeats coldly.

Quinn enters the room and grabs Rachel's arm to turn around and face her. "Why are you acting like this?"

"Ever since we've been together, it's been 'Marley this' and 'Marley that', and I'm tired of it! I don't feel good enough for you when she's around!"

Quinn sighs. How many times were they going to have this argument?

"Rachel, I've already told you, _I am not_ interested in her like that."

"But you've thought about it, haven't you?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Tears fill Rachel's eyes as she unleashes all of her inner anguish in Quinn. "Just admit it. You know things would be so much easier for you if you were with her. Right, Quinn?"

"Rachel, stop being so ridiculous. You're acting like a child."

"You would be saving me a lot of trouble if you would just admit it."

"I can't!"

"Why not?"

"Because it's not true!" Quinn cries out.

They both stand there, holding each other's gaze.

"I can't believe you're acting like this," Quinn mumbles angrily. "It's so fucking crazy."

Rachel flinches, then wipes her eyes and says, "I think that you should leave."

Quinn looks taken aback. "Why?"

"I think that would be best for us right now."

"If this is how you're going to be, then fine," Quinn fumes. "Call me when you grow up." She turns and stomps to the front door.

Rachel seethes at the insult. "Call me when you're done fucking Marley!" she calls out.

"I will!"

The door slams before Rachel can say anything else.

With Quinn's words, she feels like she's been punched in the gut.

She sits down on the bed with her face in her hands, and screams.

* * *

An hour later, Rachel is sitting at the table with a glass of wine, still very much angry.

She didn't mean what she said and she knows that Quinn didn't either, but Quinn's insult and last words were completely uncalled for. The girl has to know that.

She impatiently drums her fingers on the tabletop next to her phone. Part of her is waiting for Quinn to call and apologize. But she knows that this situation needs a day or so to blow over. But still, she wants Quinn to be the one to apologize first.

Her phone starts buzzing and she quickly looks down at the screen. She's disappointed when she sees it's a call from an unknown number and ignores it.

She sighs and rubs her temples. This is not how she wanted the night to go at all. She just wanted a nice night out with her girlfriend. But _no_. She couldn't have that because of fucking Marley and her -

Her phone alerts her with a new voicemail. She rolls her eyes and grabs it and presses play before bringing the phone to her ear.

A voice on the recording clears its throat nervously.

_"Hey Rachel, it's me. This is my new number by the way. But anyway, I'm in Lima for a couple days for work. And I thought...I just wanted to see you. It's been a while and I think we're both ready to talk again. I just want to see how you're doing and make sure that everything's okay. So please call me so we can talk soon. Okay...bye."_

She places the phone back down on the table and furrows her brow because...what the hell?

Out of all the possible times, he chooses to call _now_? After a big fight with Quinn?

Rachel becomes angry again as she thinks about the fight and how upset Quinn made her.

She grabs the phone and saves the number to her contacts.

**Finn Hudson**


	20. Chapter 20

Quinn kills the engine to her car and takes off her seat-belt. She grips the steering wheel and takes a deep breath as she stares at Rachel's front door.

They haven't spoken since the night before, when Quinn stormed out after their fight. She needed time to calm down and collect herself. God knows Rachel needed to do the same.

But Quinn was here now and she needed to fix this. They needed to fix this. She knows that they won't last much longer if they keep going on like this.

She grabs the bouquet in the passenger seat and gets out of the car. Rachel had mentioned before that the white gardenia was her favorite flower. Quinn knows it might be silly and cliché to get flowers after a huge fight, but she was ready to pull out all of the stops.

She even had a speech prepared in her head. And if Rachel was willing to meet her halfway and everything went according to plan, things would end up great between them.

She knocks on the door and steps back, waiting for Rachel to answer. When Rachel doesn't appear, she knocks again.

A few moments pass and Quinn frowns. She then takes her key and unlocks the door to let herself in.

The whirling sound of a blow dryer tells her that Rachel obviously couldn't hear her knocking. Quinn pushes into the bedroom and goes to the bathroom, where the door was open.

She watches as her girlfriend continues blow drying her hair, oblivious to Quinn's presence. When Rachel's finally done and turns the device off, Quinn quietly says, "Hey."

"Ahh!" Rachel shrieks as she jumps back, clutching her chest. "Quinn! You scared me!"

"Sorry," Quinn murmurs. "I tried knocking at the door, but I guess you didn't hear me. So I let myself in if that's okay."

The woman nods, but doesn't look at Quinn directly. "Of course it's okay."

"And I got these for you," Quinn says as she awkwardly holds out the bouquet between them.

Rachel smiles softly. "Thank you, Quinn. Would you mind putting them in water for me?"

"Sure thing."

Quinn goes into the kitchen and gets the extra vase out from underneath the sink. She then fills it partially with water and delicately places the flowers inside.

She carefully sets the vase in the center of the dining room table, leaning the card she got for Rachel as well against it. She figures Rachel will read it when she has the chance. Right now, there were other things on Quinn's mind.

She returns to Rachel's room and leans against the doorway of the bathroom, watching as her beautiful girlfriend applies some makeup to her face. Quinn can tell that she's nervous. Or perhaps uncomfortable. So she may as well get the ball rolling, so to speak.

She clears her throat. "Listen, Rachel. I am so incredibly sorry about last night. I know that we were both really worked up and upset. But that's no excuse. I shouldn't have said those things to you. You know I didn't mean them."

Quinn pauses when Rachel nods her head slightly. But when the woman doesn't say anything and continues putting on her makeup, the blonde keeps going.

"I understand why you wanted me to leave. And I hate myself for making you feel that way. I love you, Rachel. Will you please forgive me?"

Rachel finally stops and turns to look at her. "What did you do after you left?" she asks timidly.

Quinn knows what she's really asking. She wants to know if Quinn really went through with her words and did something with Marley. The younger girl feels a sting knowing that Rachel even has to ask. Did she really think Quinn would do something like that?

"I went home and locked myself in my room all night," she answers.

"By yourself?"

"Of course by myself." She approaches the woman and gently grips her by the shoulders. "Rachel, I would never do anything like that behind your back. I want you to trust me."

Rachel feels relief wash over her and tilts her head up to press their lips together for a fleeting moment. "I do trust you. And of course I forgive you."

Quinn sighs. She wants Rachel to apologize for her behavior as well. But she decides that it's probably best not to bring it up until later. She's just glad that they're at least speaking at all.

Rachel starts applying lipstick and Quinn frowns, just realizing that she's getting ready for something.

"Are you going out?" she asks.

The woman puts the cap back on and nods, unable to meet Quinn's eyes.

This confuses her even more. "Oh. Did you make plans with Kurt or something?"

She can't really be upset if Rachel was already planning to do something with her friends. It's just not ideal for Quinn right now, as she wants to spend more time together and talk this out more.

She feels anxiety building up when she sees Rachel swallow before turning to her with worried eyes.

"Quinn...please don't freak out."

She can hear her heart pounding in her ears. "Rach, you're scaring me. What's going on?"

"Finn's in town."

Rachel knows that Quinn is going to initially be upset no matter how it came out. But she's hoping that she'll at least be understanding in the end.

"Finn? As in your ex-husband?"

The betrayed look on Quinn's face is one that she's never seen before.

"Yes, we briefly spoke on the phone earlier," she explains quickly. "It's not what you think! We just agreed that it would be good for us to get together and talk through everything. Just to clear the air, you know?"

"Without telling me first? Without even asking me?"

Quinn storms back into the bedroom with her back to Rachel, feeling like she's about to have a panic attack.

"Look, you and I weren't exactly speaking. And –"

"Is that why you're doing this?" Quinn whips around suddenly. "To get back at me? To make me jealous? Because this is pretty fucked up, Rachel."

"Quinn," she says carefully. "I'll admit, I only even considered speaking with him because I was angry with you. But he made a good point. This isn't about you and me, I swear. I just want to find closure with him."

"You left him. You signed the divorce papers. Was that not enough 'closure' for you?"

The mocking tone in Quinn's voice was starting to anger Rachel once again.

"I've already said this has nothing to do with you, Quinn."

Tears spring from the girl's eyes. "I'm not letting you go with him."

"Excuse me?"

"Look at you," Quinn gestures to her attire. "It's like you're going on a fucking date. I'm not letting you go."

"I am a grown woman," Rachel seethes. "I can do whatever I want."

Quinn grabs her wrist and softens her features. "Please don't do this, Rachel. I'm begging you."

"You don't need to worry! Don't you trust me?"

"What if he convinces you to take him back?"

Rachel sighs, "Quinn..."

"What if you decide that you don't want to be with me anymore and go back to New York?"

"You're being ridiculous."

Quinn throws her hands up. "I'm being ridiculous?"

"Yes! You are!"

Rachel's never seen her girlfriend act like this before and it was extremely unsettling. A part of her was even frightened.

"Look," Quinn suddenly takes both of her hands between her own. "If you don't go tonight, if you stay here with me instead, I promise that I'll never talk to Marley again. Okay?"

Rachel jerks her hands away in frustration. "Seriously, Quinn? You're willing to do that _now_?"

"Yes. I don't care. I'll do whatever it takes to keep from losing you."

"I told you that I trust you. It's your turn to trust me now."

"This isn't the same thing! This is you going out to reconnect with your ex! Did you even tell him that you're seeing somebody?"

The surprised look on the woman's face answers Quinn's question on its own. "It didn't come up when we talked. And I don't think it would be a good idea to tell him, because he might find out that it's you and –"

Quinn chuckles dryly, "Of course you didn't tell him. Rachel, why are you being so stupid?"

She feels the rage inside of her reaching its peak. "Fuck you, Quinn," she growls out.

"Well it's true!" Quinn calls out as she chases after Rachel to the living room. "You can't put your fantasy life with your New York husband in the past where it belongs. This is the real world, Rachel."

Rachel scoffs, "And what do you know about the real world? This is how it works, Quinn. This is what adults do. We talk things out and then move on, which is why I'm going to see Finn. You would understand that if you knew how relationships worked."

She really didn't want to play the age card as well as Quinn's inexperience. But she had no choice.

In the end, she knows that there's no getting through to the girl right now.

"Can you please just go? We'll talk about this later, okay?"

She marches back towards her bedroom, but is stopped when she feels a pair of arms wrap around her from behind.

"Quinn, let go of me."

"Please don't go." She squeezes tighter.

"Get off of me!"

Rachel turns around and shoves her as hard as she can, causing the girl to fall back.

As Quinn falls to the floor, she holds her right hand behind her in an effort to break her fall, but feels a sharp pain in her wrist when she lands on it at an odd angle. She lets out a strangled cry and clutches it with her other hand.

She deserved this, she thinks. She should've let go when her girlfriend requested. She doesn't know what's gotten into her for doing something insane like this.

"Quinn! Oh my god! Are you okay?" Rachel's worried voice breaks her out of her thoughts and she looks up to see the woman kneeling over her. She quickly scrambles to pick herself up off the floor.

Rachel stands as well and immediately takes her right hand for inspection. "Are you hurt? God, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to do that, baby." The woman was on the verge of tears again.

Quinn pulls her hand away and takes a step back. "I'm fine."

She looks at Rachel, then down at herself in shame. When did they become this kind of couple?

Rachel tries to examine her hand again, but Quinn just shakes her head.

"I'm gonna go now."

"Quinn..."

"That's what you wanted, right?"

She doesn't give Rachel the chance to respond as she quickly turns around and leaves the house in spite of Rachel's protests.

* * *

Rachel takes a cab to meet Finn at some dive bar across town, which she couldn't help but roll her eyes at. Apparently it was close to the hotel he usually stayed at and would frequent this place whenever he was in town.

He had offered to pick her up, but she had declined, luckily without too much arguing. She knew Quinn would have thrown an even bigger fit if he were to suddenly show up.

Quinn.

Her heart aches at the thought of her girlfriend. She never wanted all of this to turn into the mess it was. But they can work through it. She knows they can.

She enters the run down building and looks around in search of the man she used to share a life with. It doesn't take long because he stands as soon as he sees her.

And there he was, as tall as the day she met him, and as handsome as ever. Why is it that men get better looking as they age? It just isn't fair.

"Hey! Rachel!" Finn excitedly waves her over and pulls out the stool next to him at the bar.

She scrunches her face as she sits down and grabs a napkin to carefully wipe down the bar surface in front of her.

"Hello Finn," she says dryly.

"Can I get two more beers over here?" he calls out to the bartender. He then turns to her and smiles, "I'm so glad you actually came."

"You know how impolite I find it to cancel on someone without notice."

"Yeah, right," he nods. "You look great by the way."

She smiles smugly to herself. She wanted him to see what he was missing as soon as he saw her. But she thinks she may have overdone it, if Quinn's interaction was anything to go by.

"Thank you."

"Anyway, what have you been up to? There's not really much to do around here."

She nods because that was true. In the grand scheme of things, Lima wasn't very exciting. "I've been working. I actually just got this teaching job at my old high school. Well, sort of." She didn't want to go too specific because it wasn't actually a _job_ job.

"That's so cool. Teaching music?"

"Yes, music." Their beers finally arrive and Rachel takes a quick sip. "How's New York? Is it beginning to fall apart without me?"

Finn chuckles, "No, not yet at least. I got another promotion at work. So that's been keeping me pretty busy. Haven't really had much time for anything else."

"Congratulations."

"Thanks." He takes a swig of his beer. "I'm surprised you didn't stay in New York since you loved it there so much."

"Well after being hurt and humiliated, I needed to be somewhere that I felt safe and secure."

Finn shrinks back in his chair at her harsh tone. "Rachel, I am so –"

"Don't," she snaps. "I get it. You're sorry and you hate what you did to me. You've told me a hundred times already. I'm tired of hearing it."

He nods to himself. Fair enough. "So how's Judy anyway?" he changes the subject. "And Russell?"

She shrugs, "They're fine. Still living in that same house and still working at that same hospital. Judy was actually thrilled that I moved back."

"Well yeah, I'm sure she missed you. You went for a while without even talking to her."

She blows out a puff of air, "Yeah."

"And what about...what was her name again? Your niece?"

Rachel smiles, "Quinn."

"Yeah, Quinn. How's she been?"

"She's in college now," she can't help but beam proudly.

"What?" Finn's eyes widen. "No way. Already?"

Rachel nods. "Crazy right?"

"Yeah it is...wow. We're getting old."

"Ugh," she groans. "Don't remind me."

He smirks, "Isn't your birthday coming up? It's thirty-one this year, right?"

"Shut up, Finn."

He chuckles to himself and continues drinking his beer.

Rachel finishes the rest of hers before studying him. They seem to be getting along better than she anticipated. She wonders if he's been happy because he's made a connection with someone new similar to her and Quinn.

"Have you been seeing anyone?" she asks suddenly.

Finn shakes his head, "Not really. I've had a couple dates, but I guess I'm not ready for a relationship. Probably not for a while."

"But I'm sure you've had plenty of one night stands to get yourself by."

"Ouch," he smiles sadly.

"Sorry," she mumbles. "Too far. I know."

He shrugs, "It's whatever. I deserve it. I feel like you're actually taking it pretty easy on me. I was half expecting you to come in and chop my balls off with a meat cleaver." He laughs before becoming serious again, "Unless you're hiding one in your purse..."

Rachel rolls her eyes, "Relax. I left all of my deadly weapons at home this time."

"Oh. Cool," he smiles nervously.

"Finn, don't worry. Whatever you do now is your business. And if you're happy, then I'm happy for you."

He frowns at the sentimental statement. Why does it seem like Rachel's suddenly okay with everything between them?

It instantly clicks in his head. "Wait...are _you_ seeing someone?"

Rachel stiffens, "I...what?"

"Are you seeing someone?" he repeats.

"No."

"No?"

"Yes?"

"Huh?"

"Yes, okay! I've been seeing someone!" she yells.

"Jesus, Rach. Calm down. I was just asking," he whispers, embarrassed at the stares they were getting.

"Sorry," she flinches. "My bad."

"Why are you so strung up about it anyway? Is this guy married or something?"

She glares at him. "No, it's not like that. Do you honestly think I'd do something like that after just getting divorced?"

He frowns, "I guess not. I don't know. You just seem really defensive about it. I'm not judging you. I have no place to judge."

Rachel nods because he _definitely_ doesn't.

"And I know you're gonna say it's not my business anyway. So whatever."

"It's just…something different for me. It's hard to talk about."

"Alright then. Sorry."

Rachel wants to rub in Finn's face how happy she is with Quinn. But she obviously can't for a number of reasons.

"Is it turning into something serious?" Finn suddenly asks.

She thinks about it for a moment. "It _is_ something serious."

"Wow." There's a hint of disappointment laced in his voice. "I guess as long as he treats you right and you're happy."

"I am happy." She was incredibly happy with Quinn…for the most part. Sure, they were going through a rough patch right now. But most couples do, right? She knows in her heart that they're meant to be.

"That's good." Finn chugs the rest of his beer and waves the bartender over. "You want another one?" he asks Rachel.

"Sure."

After they receive their next round, Finn turns to her and asks, "So, is everything going okay…finance wise?"

She furrows her brow, "What do you mean?"

"I mean like you've been doing okay with the alimony and stuff, right? Because if you've been struggling, you don't have to be ashamed to ask me..."

"I'm doing fine, Finn. I don't need more of your money. But thanks, I guess."

"Cool. I was just making sure."

"What's with you?"

He's caught off guard by the question. "What?"

"Why are you suddenly acting like such a nice guy? Why now?"

His mouth hangs open as he ponders what she's asking. He shrugs, "I don't know. I mean, I was such an asshole to you. Behind your back at least. And after you left, I realized I didn't wanna be that guy anymore. I know it's too late to change when it comes to you. But, like, in the future, I don't wanna hurt someone like that ever again. You didn't deserve that. You're a good person."

Rachel sighs, "You're right. I didn't. But I'm hardly a good person."

Finn shakes his head, "You really are. I mean, look, you gave me a chance to see you and talk to you even though I fucked up so badly."

Yes, she did give him that chance. But at Quinn's expense. God only knows what's going through the girl's mind right now.

She's not going to stop worrying about her girlfriend until she fixes this. And the longer she waits, the harder it's going to be.

"Finn?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm really sorry. But I have to go."

"What? Now?" He becomes confused. He thought they were actually enjoying their time together.

"Yes, now. Can you drive me to my sister's house?"

* * *

They pull onto the dark street in Finn's rental car. He ended up passing by the house twice on accident.

"So it's this one, right?"

"Yes, this one right here," Rachel points out the window.

He pulls to a stop and puts the car in park. They sit together in awkward silence for a moment. Finn is the first one to speak. "So, I guess this is it?"

She nods, "Yeah. It is."

"Can I ask you one more thing before you go?"

Rachel turns to him and nods.

"Do you hate me?"

She smiles at him with a sigh. "No. I don't hate you, Finn."

"I know what I did was pretty awful. But I just want you to know that I really did love you."

"I really loved you too. You know I did. But obviously, it wasn't meant to be. You were just one chapter of my life. And now…I have to live the rest of it and see what happens."

He smiles back at her and stares for a moment. Then finally says, "Take care of yourself, Rachel. I hope things work out for you. And if you ever need anything for whatever reason, you can ask me. I owe you that much."

"Thank you." She opens the door and climbs out. She then takes one last look at the man she was married to. "Goodbye, Finn."

Rachel closes the car door and watches as he drives off and turns out of the street. She then looks to the house and curses when she sees Judy's car in the driveway.

She shifts around for a couple minutes, trying to decide what to do. She did have a spare key to the house. She could try to quietly sneak in up to Quinn's room unnoticed. But Quinn would probably think she's gone bat-shit crazy.

She pulls her phone out of her purse to dial Quinn's number, but freezes when the front door suddenly opens.

She scowls when she sees who it is and waits for them to get further down the driveway before she addresses them.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Marley jumps in surprise, not expecting to run into Rachel on her way to her car. "Jesus! You scared me!"

"I asked you a question."

The girl narrows her eyes, "Quinn called me. She was upset and wouldn't stop crying. So I came over so she could have someone to talk to."

Rachel takes a few steps forward to invade her space. She's completely had it with this girl. "You…this is all because of you."

"Excuse me?"

"Do you think I'm stupid? I see the way you look at Quinn. You may have her fooled, but not me. I know you like her and you would do anything you can to steer her away from me."

"Trust me, you're doing a great job of that all on your own," Marley snaps back.

Rachel keeps her hands at her sides because she knows she's so close to strangling this bitch. "You need to stay away from Quinn."

"Not unless she tells me herself. But you and I both know she won't."

The woman wants to scream because she knows it's true. "I know what you're doing. You're waiting on the sidelines for an opportunity because you want her."

"And so what if I do? Quinn knows that I at least care about her. You can't say the same. Not with the way you've been treating her."

Rachel swallows a lump in her throat. "What did she tell you?"

Marley shakes her head with a sly grin that Rachel wants to slap right off her face.

"You need to stay away from Quinn, and stay out of our business," she says firmly.

"You have no business being with her in the first place, and you know that."

She moves dangerously closer so they're face to face. "Shut up, you fucking whore."

"It's true. You're _her aunt_. Blood related or not, it's never going to work. So you might as well do Quinn a favor and quit dragging her down."

"Shut up!" Rachel shouts, her voice cracking. She steps away so that Marley can't see the tears falling, but it's no use.

The girl looks at the house, then back at her. "You're going to wake up Judy if you keep screaming." She then moves past her and wordlessly walks to her car.

Rachel watches her drive away. That stupid fucking bitch, she thinks. She hopes that she crashes on her way home.

She grabs her phone again and gets back to calling Quinn. After two rings, it goes to voicemail.

"Shit!"

She dials again, only for it to go to voicemail again. And again. And again…

When she starts to dial for the fifth time, her phone buzzes in her hands with a new text message.

**Quinn: Please stop calling, Rach. Just not tonight. I promise I'll come by tomorrow.**

Rachel sighs in relief at the girl's promise. She'd rather see her now. But she'll take whatever she can get.

**Rachel: Okay. Please come. I love you.**

She waits for a few minutes before she decides that Quinn isn't going to say anything else. She sends another message.

**Rachel: I love you so much.**

* * *

"Is that too tight?" Russell asks.

"Isn't it supposed to be?" Quinn asks as her father finishes wrapping her wrist.

He smirks, "That's my girl." He then turns to Marley, "Thank you so much for driving Quinn."

"It's no big deal. I'm glad to help out," Marley smiles.

Quinn sighs to herself. When she woke up that morning, her wrist was causing her agonizing pain and was ridiculously swollen. So obviously, she needed to get it looked at. She had asked Marley to drive her to the hospital, and her friend happily obliged.

Luckily for her, Russell had a free hour with no appointments and quickly took her in for some x-rays.

"Be careful whenever you're going down the stairs, kiddo. I've seen worse injuries for that and you're pretty lucky."

"I know dad. I guess I just wasn't paying attention."

She sees Marley giving her a knowing look out of the corner of her eye, but ignores the girl.

Judy suddenly bursts into the hospital room in a frenzy. "I'm here! What happened? Quinn? What's wrong?"

She can't help but laugh a little at her mom and her overreaction to everything.

"Everything's fine, Judy," Russell chuckles. "Quinn just took a tumble down the stairs and has a bad sprain in her wrist. I already took some x-rays. Nothing's broken."

He holds the file containing the x-rays out to her. Judy quickly snatches it before carefully examining the photos inside.

"You're right. No fractures or anything."

"I told you."

Judy turns to her daughter. "Are you okay, Quinn? Is it hurting you?"

She shrugs, "It's just a little sore, but I'll live."

The woman nods before turning to the other girl. "Oh! Marley! How nice to see you," she beams.

"It's nice to see you too. Quinn just needed a little help getting here," Marley smiles.

"Oh, how sweet of you."

"It was no problem."

Quinn didn't like the excitement in her mother's eyes at seeing her "supposed" ex-girlfriend there with them.

"Well anyway," she stands up and gives her mother a quick hug. "Everything's fine. So we should really get going. Thank you, dad."

He pats her on the shoulder, "Don't worry about it."

Quinn ushers Marley out the door as her mom calls out, "Take care, Quinn! And bye Marley! It was good seeing you!"

She sighs in relief when they make it back to Marley's car. "Thanks for doing this. You really didn't have to."

"Quinn, don't be ridiculous." Marley turns on the car and starts the drive back to Quinn's house to drop her off. "Are you sure you don't want me to go with you later? In case things start to get out of hand?"

Quinn knows that she's talking about going with her to Rachel's house. That would be a terrible idea.

"No. I need to do this on my own."

* * *

Rachel paces around the house, like she's been doing for the past several hours.

Where was Quinn?

The girl never said what time she would be coming by. So Rachel was giving her the benefit of the doubt. But it was now half past eight and she was starting to go a little bit crazy.

Quinn's coming, she keeps telling herself. She promised she would.

She goes back into the kitchen and pulls a note out of one of the drawers. Quinn had left it with the flowers she had given her, but Rachel hadn't even noticed until she got home the previous night. She reads over the words for the thousandth time.

_Rachel,_

_I'm so sorry about everything. We're going to make it all work. You're it for me. I love you._

_Q._

Quinn had written this before their last fight, but Rachel hopes that her words still ring true. She knows that Quinn's it for her as well. If anything, seeing Finn again only confirmed this for her. Quinn is her forever. She's going to make sure of it.

She perks up when she thinks she hears a creak. She stands still for a second, but then hears a door close and knows that she's not just hearing things.

She leaves the kitchen just in time to see Quinn going into her bedroom.

"Quinn!"

She runs into her room, but freezes in her tracks when she sees the blonde going through the drawers in her dresser with an open duffel bag on the floor.

"Quinn, what are you doing?"

Her heart rate speeds up rapidly. She's praying that Quinn will give her any answer other than the one she's dreading.

"I'm getting my stuff."

"Stop it!" Rachel panics. She pushes Quinn aside and slams the drawers shut. "We have to talk about this."

Quinn exhales slowly before nodding. "I know."

As she moves to sit down on the bed, Rachel sees the state of her wrist and gasps, kneeling down in front of her.

She gently cradles the wrist against her chest before letting out a sob. "I did this. I'm so sorry, baby."

"Rachel, it's okay."

"How is this okay?" Rachel cries out. "I hurt you!"

"It was an accident, Rach." She pulls the woman up to sit next to her with her good hand. "And it's just a sprain. The same one I've sprained before in cheerleading. And I know you would never do this on purpose."

Rachel shakes her head fervently, "Never."

"Exactly."

Before Quinn has the chance to say anything else, Rachel leans over and pushes their lips together.

Quinn attempts to pull away with a sigh, "Rachel..."

"No."

"Rachel, stop." She pulls away successfully this time, holding the woman back by the shoulder.

"Will you please just let me kiss you?" Rachel whimpers, her eyes watering again.

Quinn shakes her head. "Like you said, we need to talk."

The older woman nods, then quickly says, "Nothing bad happened with Finn. I swear to you, Quinn."

"I believe you," the blonde murmurs. "I know I probably overreacted and went a little crazy."

"But it's okay though!" Rachel reassures. "Because we can get through anything together."

Quinn doesn't say anything and soon begins to shake her head.

"Quinn?"

"You know what I'm going to say, Rachel."

She stops breathing.

"We shouldn't be together like this anymore."

Quinn swears that they would be able to hear a pin drop right now.

"You're breaking up with me?"

Quinn frowns at Rachel's incredulity. "Yes. I think it's best that we break up."

"But why?" Rachel cries out, clutching at Quinn's shirt.

"Why do you think? We can't trust each other. We're always fighting. I mean look at us," she holds up her wrist, "Look at what we've become. This isn't right, Rachel. We can't go on like this."

"Has Marley been telling you that you should leave me?"

"This has nothing to do with Marley! Rach, it's just about you and me."

Rachel shakes her head, "No. We can fix this."

"No, we can't. You were right. I don't know how the real world works. I don't know how relationships work. I've actually been terrible at this relationship."

"That's not true! I've been the one that's been acting so immature. I'll admit it. You've made me feel like the most special girl in the world and I keep taking that for granted! But I promise, that ends now. I love you, Quinn."

"Rachel, it's both of us. It's clear that we both weren't ready for this."

The woman is openly weeping at this point, and Quinn finds herself crying too. She never wanted to do this. But for once in her life, she needs to do the right thing.

She turns away and stands to get back to gathering all of her stuff. When she's finished, she stares down at the woman she loves so much.

"So what then?" Rachel asks. "We just go on and pretend like nothing ever happened? Am I just going to be some dark secret that you'll carry with you for the rest of your life?"

"Of course not," Quinn says softly as she moves in front of the woman and drops down to her knees. She looks up into those soft brown eyes and takes both of her hands, "If something is meant to be, then it will be. I love you, Rachel. That's never going to change for as long as I exist. I don't know what's going to happen in the future. But I need you to know that I love you more than anything, and that's why I'm doing this."

Rachel leans forward and holds the girl against her as close as she can. Quinn allows the embrace and wraps her arms around her torso, nuzzling her face into the woman's body.

"I can't do this without you," Rachel whispers as she softly strokes her hair.

Quinn reluctantly pulls back and stands up. "Yes you can. You're the strongest person I know. I love you."

She leans down to place one last kiss on her forehead, basking in the moment, before turning around and grabbing her bag and walking out the door.

Rachel doesn't move from her spot after Quinn leaves. She stares at the space in the doorway where she last saw the girl.

She desperately tries to hold it together. She repeats the same mantra in her head over and over.

They _are_ meant to be. And they _will_ be together in the end.


	21. Chapter 21

Kurt peels onto Rachel's street and comes to a screeching halt in front of her house. He throws his door open and hops out of the car. When she had called him, he knew right away that something serious happened. She was in complete hysterics and he couldn't understand a word she was saying, so he told her he would come by as soon as he could.

He races up the driveway and knocks on the door, waiting for a moment. He hears music blasting inside and figures that it's useless knocking. He tries turning the knob, and luckily, it's unlocked.

"Rachel?" he calls out, letting himself in. He frowns as he listens to _Un-Break My Heart_ blaring throughout the small house.

Kurt now has a pretty good idea of what's going on...

He finds the brunette in a heap on the living room floor, sobbing next to an empty liquor bottle.

He kneels down next to her and carefully taps her shoulder. "Rachel?"

"Kurt!" She looks up at him with mascara running down her face. "You came!"

He grabs the remote to turn down the music and sits on the floor next to her. "I told you I was coming. What's going on?"

Rachel hiccups loudly before the sobs return, "Quinn left me! She left me!"

His suspicions are confirmed. He then wraps an arm around her shoulder. "Oh, honey. When did this happen?"

She tries to pull herself together long enough in order to answer him. "A couple –" she hiccups, "hours ago."

"And you're already drinking yourself to death?"

"I tried to hold it together," Rachel cries. "I really did. But I couldn't and now I'm like this!"

She puts her face in her hands and continues releasing all of her anguish and sorrow.

Since she's not looking, Kurt quickly pulls out his phone and sends a text to Blaine. He says that he's going to stay with Rachel for the night because she was a mess right now and couldn't be alone.

"Okay, up you go." He hoists the woman up off the floor to sit on the couch.

He sits down next to her and she leans her head on his shoulder and sniffles. He sighs to himself. It was Jesse St. James all over again…

"Do you want to talk about what happened?"

"I'm so stupid," she slurs sadly. "I'm always fucking up this…and that…and –"

"Rachel, talk to me. Just tell me what happened."

"It all started with that idiot Marley girl," she snarls.

"Okay, who's Marley?"

"She's as dull as a dishwasher. I kept getting jealous but I shouldn't have because Quinn loved me and I don't know why I couldn't just trust her. And then I called her a child. Then I saw Finn."

"Sweetie, slow down. You're losing me." Kurt was beyond confused.

Rachel shakes her head, ignoring him. "And then Quinn had to go to the hospital."

"Wait, what!"

"Because I pushed her," she turns to him and widens her eyes. "I pushed her really hard! Oh god!"

"Rachel, were you fighting?"

"I didn't mean to! I pushed her and she hurt her arm."

"Is that why she ended things?"

"No," she hiccups. "She said that all we do is fight and we can't trust each other. And that we weren't ready to be together."

Kurt still didn't know much about Quinn, other than she was really young and really _really_ pretty. Besides that, the girl was still a complete mystery to him.

"Rachel, maybe she was right. Maybe you weren't ready for this."

She frowns, "What do you mean?"

"I mean you just barely got divorced this year. Quinn's a young, beautiful girl in college. Maybe this was just a rebound for you. Something to help you get over Finn."

"Quinn is not a rebound," she snaps. "And I love her. Probably _more_ than I loved Finn."

"Alright calm down. I'm sorry, okay?" He didn't mean to make her feel defensive. "Obviously I don't really know anything about your relationship with her."

"And trust me, I never would have willingly chosen to fall for her."

"Why do you say that?"

"I," she frowns to herself. "I need more vodka."

Kurt sighs as Rachel gets up and stumbles to the kitchen. She returns with more vodka as promised and starts drinking straight from the bottle.

"Okay..." He takes the bottle away from her. "I think that's enough for you."

Rachel pouts, but doesn't argue with him. She's going to have one hell of a headache tomorrow.

"I'm sorry you have to see me like this. Even _I_ think I look crazy."

"Nothing I haven't seen before," he smiles reassuringly.

"I just don't have anyone else to talk to."

Kurt frowns, "You can't talk to Judy about these things?"

She shakes her head, "No. Judy would be so mad if she knew I was dating Quinn."

"Mad because Quinn's a girl?" He doesn't recall Judy ever having a problem with gay people. "Or because she's so young?"

"Because Quinn's her daughter."

"What!" He sits up and gapes at her.

Her mouth drops open. "What?"

"Quinn is her daughter?" he squeaks.

"Yes..."

"Jesus Christ, Rachel." He rubs circles on his temples. "Did you ever once think that this is probably a bad idea?" he scolds.

"Of course I did. But Quinn and I aren't related. You know I was adopted," she defends.

"And you think reminding Judy of that would have made her okay with this?"

"No...But I was going to tell her. I'm _still_ going to tell her. One day."

He shakes his head quickly, "Bad idea. I highly recommend keeping it to yourself. There's no reason she ever has to know about it now. You and Quinn aren't together anymore, remember?"

Kurt thinks that Quinn did them all a favor at this point. Maybe she is a smart girl after all.

"But we will be!"

"Rachel..."

She starts crying again as she thinks about everything she ever wanted to do with Quinn. "We're going to get married and move away and have kids and be so happy. Just you wait!"

"Rachel," he tries again. "She just broke up with you. You can't plan a life with someone if they don't want to be with you."

"I need to get her back, Kurt!"

He knows there's no getting through to her tonight. Not when she's like this.

"Okay Rachel."

"You have to help me get her back," she pleads with him.

"Why don't we sleep on it tonight and talk about it again in the morning?"

He pulls her off the couch and guides her to the bedroom.

"I know! I'll call her!"

She grabs her phone on the night stand, only for it to be snatched away by Kurt and shoved in his pocket.

"For the love of god, Rachel," he gripes. "Go to sleep."

She sits on the bed and glares at him, holding out her hand. "Give me my phone! I want to call Quinn."

"You're drunk. And I really doubt she wants to talk to you."

Rachel whines and curls up on the bed. She knows he's right. She just wants to hear her voice.

Kurt sighs and rubs her shoulder sympathetically. "I'm sorry, Rachel. I know that this hurts a lot. But you really need to get some rest. Things won't seem so bad tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay," she whimpers softly.

"I'm gonna crash on your couch. Let me know if you need anything." He then steps out and closes the door, leaving her alone to her thoughts.

She hugs her pillow and imagines Quinn. Her Quinn. Her perfect Quinn.

Maybe this is all just a bad dream. Maybe she'll wake up tomorrow with Quinn in her arms.

More tears fall and she knows she won't be getting much sleep tonight.

* * *

At around seven in the morning, Rachel rolls over in her bed and sighs. She's only had a few hours of sleep, and she knows trying to go back to sleep would be futile.

She slowly gets up and makes her way to the bathroom. She turns on the light and grimaces at what she sees in the mirror. She looks like shit. No, she looks like death.

After washing up, she goes out to the living room to see Kurt asleep on her couch. She internally face palms as she thinks about the night before and all that she told him.

She nudges him lightly, causing him to open his eyes.

"How are you awake?" he groans.

"I didn't get much sleep. You want some coffee?"

"Yes please. Just give me a minute," he says as he starts stretching.

Rachel goes into the kitchen to turn on the coffee pot. She opens a cupboard to grab a couple of mugs and feels her heart lurch when she sees Quinn's favorite blue mug. She quickly grabs it for herself to use.

Kurt comes in a few minutes later when the coffee is ready. "Morning," he murmurs sleepily while pouring himself a cup.

She smiles politely back at him. "Did you sleep okay on the couch?"

"As good as I would sleep on any couch," he shrugs.

She stands there awkwardly, trying to think of something else to say.

"I don't think I told you last night, but thank you for coming." He didn't have to come. And he certainly didn't have to stay after everything she told him. But he did. And he was still there, which was a lot more than Rachel could ask for.

"It's fine, Rachel. Being alone was the last thing you needed."

She purses her lips and nods, looking down at her feet.

"Are you feeling any better?" he asks.

"Not really," she says softly. He doesn't say anything else, and it makes her nervous. "Are you judging me?"

He sighs, "No. I of all people understand that we can't choose who we fall in love with."

Rachel nods because this is very true. "I never meant for any of this to happen. It just did."

"I know you didn't. Life is just weird like that sometimes. I don't think any less of you because you're only human."

She smiles.

"Everything suddenly makes sense now," he adds. "I just knew there was something about her that felt familiar."

"I'm sure you would've figured it out eventually," she huffs.

"Probably."

"So this means I'm guaranteed to see her again at some point. I don't know if this is a good or bad thing." She knows that she can't run away this time. Not again at least.

"You can't avoid seeing them forever. Just give it some time and maybe you'll be okay with being around her again."

Rachel already knows that she can't do that. She'll never be able to look the girl in the eyes and not be overwhelmed by the love she has for her.

"I can't, Kurt. I can't go on without her. I need her back."

"Rachel..."

"Please. I know I've already asked too much of you. But I really need you to support me with this."

He sighs, "I just don't want you to get hurt any more than you already have. Not just with Quinn, but everything that's happened before."

She understands where he's coming from. It's like her life continuously shits all over her with every choice she ever makes. And she's done with it.

"I know I've made a lot of terrible decisions in my life. But Quinn is not one of them. She's the one thing I know in my heart that I got right."

Kurt chews his lip and smiles sadly. "You know, Blaine cheated on me once. It was a couple of years ago."

Rachel gasps, "I didn't know that." They seem so happy together that she never would have guessed.

"It was with some guy that he met online," he shrugs. "Or an app. I don't know. But anyway, he told me he did it because we had become so distant and were fighting all the time. I was angry of course. God, I was so angry."

"But you were able to forgive him right away because you love him?"

"Hell no," Kurt chuckles. "I broke up with him and moved back in with my dad. We didn't get back together until a few months later. When we were both ready."

Realization dawns on Rachel. "Because you needed that time apart."

He nods. "The main thing I learned from the whole ordeal was that no matter how much you love someone, you need to be the best version of yourself that you can be. Otherwise it'll never work."

She takes a deep breath, "So I need to work on myself."

"In the meantime, yes. If you honestly believe that you and Quinn will end up back together, then I have no doubt you will be. But for now, you definitely need to work on yourself."

"Looks like I've got my work cut out for me," she rolls her eyes.

"Let's just take this day by day. How's your waitressing job going?"

Rachel shrugs, "I hardly get paid anything. Most of the money comes from tips. And I haven't been getting many hours lately. I guess it's like a hobby more than anything else."

"How about this, I'll see what openings I have at my store that you would be good for."

"Kurt, you really don't have to do that. You've done enough for me already."

He holds a hand up to stop her. "We're going to need help with the holidays coming up, so you'll really be doing _me_ a favor. And you'll be making a lot more there than you would waitressing. Plus, serving food isn't really you."

She laughs. "That's true. But only if you're really okay with this..."

"Of course! You just can't tell other employees that we're good friends. So I don't get in trouble for fraternizing."

"I'm sure I can manage."

"Great!" He outs his empty mug in the sink. "Well anyway, I have to get going. But I will definitely call you later on today after I find out what positions are open."

She tugs him closer and latches her arms around his neck in a tight hug. "Thank you so much. For everything."

He smiles before pulling out of the embrace and placing his hands against her shoulders. "Everything is going to be okay. I promise."

After all the happened over the past few days, Rachel was starting to believe that maybe things really would be okay.

* * *

Kurt wasn't kidding when he said that they needed help for the holidays. The Calvin Klein store had sales going through the roof, and Rachel had definitely found herself busy.

Thanks to Kurt, she had gotten the position of a sales associate. She promptly quit her job at Breadstix. And after working at the store for over a couple of weeks, she felt like she had the hang of it.

With her schedule, she was still was able to help out with coaching at glee rehearsals every day, also thanks to Kurt. Blaine was really pushing the kids for perfection since sectionals was only a month away. Nevertheless, Rachel enjoyed helping with the choreography and vocal exercises. Thanksgiving was only two days away, and she was looking forward to a small break.

But no matter how occupied she made herself out to be, she still couldn't stop thinking about Quinn.

She wonders how she's doing with everything. How she's doing in school and at work. How she's doing at home. How she's been dealing with their break up. And of course, if she thinks about Rachel just as much as Rachel thinks about her.

As she adjusts the blouse on one of the mannequins, she feels someone's presence beside her. They clear their throat.

"Can I help you?" she asks politely, still focusing on her task.

"For starters, how about some fucking eye contact?"

Rachel's hands drop down to her sides and her eyes widen as she turns around. "Santana?"

The girl smirks, "You are literally the last person I would expect to run into here."

"Oh my god!" Rachel can't help it. She lunges forward and encases the girl in an enormous hug.

"Whoa, okay then." Santana awkwardly pats her back.

"What are you doing in Lima? Quinn said you wouldn't be coming back for the holidays."

"Well, me and Brittany worked out a deal with the folks and agreed that we would come up for Thanksgiving, and they would come down for Christmas. But it's all good since my dad's a doctor and has frequent flier miles and all that shit."

"That's great!" Rachel beams.

Santana eyes her. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you missed me."

"I...well I –"

"Or you just miss Quinn. And seeing me somehow makes you feel closer to her in some fucked up psychological way."

Rachel snaps her mouth shut because that was pretty spot on.

She rings her hands together, mustering the courage to ask. But nothing's coming out. She's almost too afraid to ask...

Santana notices this and rolls her eyes. "Go ahead. Ask me."

"How's Quinn doing? I mean...I just want to make sure that she's been okay."

The girl shrugs, "She's doing all right I guess. Just really focused in school. And she's been picking up a lot of extra shifts at work. And I've only been in town for a couple days, but Marley's been over a lot."

Rachel instantly deflates at the mention of Marley. "Oh. Okay."

"I can't stand that fucking girl anymore. You have no idea. I'm so close to tossing her out a window."

"Why? What's she been doing?" Rachel frowns.

Santana freezes, as if she's trying to choose her next words carefully. "I just...think she's annoying."

"Really?" Rachel's not convinced.

"Listen, don't worry about her. Quinn's still in love with you. Like...she just loves you."

She feels butterflies in her stomach. "How do you know that?"

"Because she told me! She's told me like ten times since I've been back. She says that she's always thinking about you and...Hey, stop smiling at me like that. It's weird."

Rachel doesn't care that she looks like a buffoon. "She really said that?"

Santana sighs, "Yes, she did. Look, I don't ever say shit like this, but I'm really rooting for you."

She's taken aback by this. She actually has Santana's support? "You think there's still a chance for us?"

The girl nods, "Yeah I do. You just have to give Quinn some time to pull her head out of her ass. Trust me. She's my best friend. And after how much she's helped with me and Brittany, I just want to see her happy."

Rachel nods with a smile, "That's sweet of you."

"Yeah whatever. Anyway, I'm ready to check out now."

"Oh! Of course."

They go to the register where Rachel rings her up. "Doing some holiday shopping?" she asks as she hands over Santana's change.

"Yeah. It's one of my Christmas presents for Britt. She loves that perfume."

Rachel frowns and pulls the small box out of the bag to examine. "But this is for men..."

Santana promptly yanks it away. "Don't get started with me."

Right then, Kurt comes out of the back room and skips towards them excitedly.

"Rachel, when you have a minute, I have something to tell you!" He turns to Santana and narrows his eyes, "Didn't I ban you for shoplifting?"

"Yeah like three years ago. Get over it already." Santana smirks before turning on her heel and walking out of the store. "See you later, Rachel!" she calls out.

"Bye!" Rachel waves.

Kurt turns to her, "Please don't tell me you're friends with her."

Rachel smiles and simply shrugs. "You had something to tell me?"

"Yes! Guess what the Lima Community Theatre is having auditions for tomorrow?" he sing-songs.

She groans, "Kurt, I've already said I'm not doing Rocky Horror with you. The production from back in college was a disaster."

"No, that was last month. But they're doing White Christmas for the holiday show this year."

"Oh. That...doesn't sound as bad as Rocky Horror."

"We put on a White Christmas production in high school," he reminds her.

"I know. I was there. And we killed it."

He throws his hands up, "Which is exactly why we're auditioning tomorrow!"

"I don't know, Kurt. I'll think about it."

"Come on, Rachel! We haven't done a stage production since college! It'll be good for you."

She quirks an eyebrow. "Who's to say I'll even get a part?"

"You're Rachel Berry. Of course you'll get a part. And hopefully I will too."

She sighs, "Blaine can't audition with you?"

Kurt shakes his head, "He's so busy with glee he won't have time for anything else. So please, Rachel? Pretty please?"

She chews her lip in contemplation. After all Kurt's done for her, she owes him this much. And he's right, it would probably be good for her and give her more to focus on.

Something other than Quinn.

"What time are the auditions?"

* * *

The next morning, Rachel and Kurt went by the theatre and performed a duet of _Sisters_. Since they were the last ones on the list, they were pressed for time and had no choice but to audition together, which actually worked out in their favor.

The director was quite impressed and seemed to love them. But of course he was impressed, Rachel thinks. It was a community theatre in Lima. It wasn't like the place was a goldmine for talent…

But nevertheless, the guy promised to give them a call soon.

After the eventful morning, Rachel goes into work later that afternoon still on a high. Her coworker said that they would be doing inventory for a while, so Rachel had to watch the store in the meantime. She had no problem with this. She was having a great day and she wasn't going to let anything ruin it.

About ten minutes until her shift is over, she hears someone walk in as she's organizing her receipts.

"Hello! Can I help you find something?" she calls out.

She looks up at whoever was approaching the counter and feels like the wind has just been knocked out of her.

"Santana said that you were working here now."

"Hello Marley," she smiles as sweetly as she can muster while she grips the countertop to keep herself from physically assaulting the girl's face. "What brings you here on this wonderful day?"

Marley returns a smile just as fake and furrows her brow. "Oh, you know, just happened to be at the mall and decided to stop in."

"Is that so?" Rachel challenges.

"It seems to be."

She doesn't say anything else after that, and the woman taps her finger impatiently. "Okay, what do you want?"

"Right to the point, are we?"

"I don't have time for games."

Keep it together, Rachel thinks. Be the bigger person. Be the adult for once...

"Okay fine," Marley becomes serious. "As I had mentioned, Santana said that she ran into you here and you both talked. It's come to my attention that you're still holding onto hope that you and Quinn will get back together."

Rachel bites the inside of her cheek. "I don't see how that's any of your business," she responds without any hint of emotion. Besides annoyance.

"Be that as it may, I just wanted you to know that you shouldn't hold your breath. You're just wasting your time."

"With all due respect, this is a private matter between Quinn and me."

"She probably wouldn't have told you, but we slept together."

Rachel feels likes she's just been hit by a train. There's no way Quinn would do that to her...

"Excuse me?"

"Last night," Marley says before adding a slight smile, "And this morning."

No, she's just trying to get a rise out of her. It can't be true, Rachel thinks.

Not a chance in hell.

"And you've come here...for what? Just to rub it in my face?"

She wants nothing more than to leap over the counter and give this girl two black eyes to go home with. How dare she try to play mind games with her.

"No! I would never rub it in your face..." There she goes again with that fucking fake smile, Rachel thinks. "I just wanted you to know that you really shouldn't expect Quinn to come back to you. Trust me."

She doesn't trust her. Not one bit.

"You're lying."

"Oh, I'm not. She was the one to make the first move. She said that she needed help getting over you. And well, since I'm such a good friend and all..."

Rachel chuckles humorlessly. "Well _Marley_...I don't mean to be rude, but I'm just having a hard time believing you."

Marley's face falters for a second. "And why is that?"

"Because I know Quinn. And I know you a lot better than you think. I actually feel quite bad for you."

"You don't know me," the girl snaps.

It's Rachel's turn to smirk now. "But I do. You're just this sad little girl pining after someone who will never return your affections. And I get it, I really do. Quinn tends to have that effect on people."

She can see Marley's jaw clenching, and knows she's hit a nerve.

Rachel knows that it's time to say what she should have a long time ago.

"But she will _never_ feel the same way about you. You know that. And it makes you crazy, doesn't it? So crazy and desperate that you're willing to do and say anything to manipulate Quinn into falling for you. But trust me, she never will. And you may even be trying to manipulate me. That will never work either. So why don't you save yourself the embarrassment, and leave _both_ of us alone. I wouldn't normally be so harsh on you, but you just _had_ to make it personal."

Tears are starting to fill the girl's eyes before she speaks up in retaliation, "I'm just trying to help you out. So believe what you want. I don't care. And for the record, I want you to know that Quinn truly deserves better. You're not good enough for her."

"That may be true. But neither are you."

The two continue to stare one another down, silently daring the other to throw the next punch. Rachel's ready to catch anything the girl has to throw at her.

"Well it was good seeing you, Rachel," Marley glares.

"Likewise."

The younger girl is the first to break eye contact as she finally turns around and walks out of the store.

Rachel releases a breath she didn't know she was holding. She's surprised with herself, honestly.

She handled that a lot better than she thought she ever would.

* * *

Much to Rachel's relief, Thanksgiving had finally arrived. And she was glad to finally have a day with absolutely nothing to worry about. For the most part.

Judy had called her early that morning asking if she would be coming over for the family Thanksgiving dinner. As much as Rachel wanted to see Quinn, she knew the whole affair would no doubt be awkward. And it would be even worse if Marley was joining them as well.

So she politely declined the invitation and said that she had already made plans. Judy sounded a bit disappointed, but then was very adamant about having Rachel over for Christmas. Rachel just agreed because she has no excuse for pulling out of that this early. But she'll cross that bridge when she gets there.

She had dinner at Kurt and Blaine's apartment along with Kurt's father and Blaine's parents. This was her first actual Thanksgiving celebration in years, and she enjoyed every moment of it.

After dinner, all of the parents left and the three of them brought out the alcohol with holiday cheer and engaged in an entertaining game of charades.

More like drunken charades. Either way, Rachel found herself laughing harder than she has in a while.

"Blaine, that is not a penguin!" she yells.

"Sure it is," he says from his place on the floor while flapping his arms. "I've got my bow tie on and everything!"

She and Kurt snort and shake their heads at him, still not convinced.

Kurt hears his phone ringing from his kitchen and gets up from his spot on the couch.

"We'll settle this when I get back!" he calls out.

Rachel keeps laughing as Blaine continues his impression of a penguin. They've all been acting completely ridiculous. But having a good time, nonetheless. Having the best time.

She just wishes that Quinn could be here right now.

"Guys!" Kurt comes bouncing back into the living room. "Guess what!"

"Barbra Streisand is in town?" Blaine snickers.

Rachel whips her head towards him and points her finger. "Don't you ever joke like that, Blaine Anderson!"

They both burst into another fit of giggles before Kurt grabs their attention again.

"No! Guys listen!" He waves and stomps his foot. "That was the White Christmas director!"

Rachel quickly stands up and holds out her hands to steady herself. "And?"

"We've been cast!" Kurt squeals. "I got Phil Davis! And you got Betty Haynes!"

"What!" Rachel starts jumping up and down in excitement, only to trip over herself and tumble right back down to the floor. She picks herself up and tries again. "I can't believe this!"

"It's amazing!" Kurt cries as they jump around together.

Blaine walks up to Kurt and wraps his fiancé in a hug. "I told you that you would get it!"

"Wait," Rachel stops. "When do we start?"

"Rehearsals start next week. Monday through Thursday for a couple hours during the evenings," he says cheerfully.

She raises her fist in the air. "I can do that!"

"Yes!"

The three continue on with their drunken games and cheers for the rest of the night. Getting a part in this musical was just one more reason to celebrate.

Rachel knows that she may not be quite there yet, but things were starting to fall together.

There was still just one thing missing.

* * *

The rehearsals were really kicking her ass. Mainly the dancing part of it. And her role required lots of it, being one of the main leads and all.

Rachel thinks she should probably work out more than once a week, but she'll worry about that later. She might just be getting used to having a routine again.

Working at Kurt's store was definitely paying off. She had enough money to make a down payment on a car, so she decided to be practical and got a slightly used Camry earlier that week. She knows that she could have easily used Finn's money to buy the car all at once. But she trashed that idea as soon as it crossed her mind. She was determined to make something of herself on her own.

The days were coming and going in a blur. It was already less than two weeks until Christmas and only a few days until opening night. Between glee club, working, and rehearsals, she was keeping herself plenty busy. Which is just what she needs.

And right now, what she _really_ needs is some sleep. It was only a few minutes past nine, but she was completely exhausted after another long day.

She quickly changes for bed and curls up on the mattress. She can always take a shower in the morning. Sleep now. Hygiene later. Good plan.

She groans when her damn phone starts ringing just as she's drifting off. She looks at it and instantly sits up when she sees the caller ID.

"Hello Judy," she answers.

"Hey Rachel. Did I catch you at a bad time?"

"No, I was just lying down," she yawns. "I'm sorry I haven't called lately. I've just been so busy."

"It's all right. We've been getting slammed at the hospital, so I've been working nonstop as well."

"Oh. Is everything okay? How's Russell? And...how's Quinn?"

"Russell is fine. We still have the same hours at work so that's been a lot easier on us. And Quinn is good too. Her semester at school is finished, so she's just been sleeping in all week," Judy chuckles.

Rachel smiles as she thinks of an adorable, grouchy Quinn rolling out of bed at noon. "That's good to hear."

"Well anyway, the reason I'm calling is because someone's birthday is coming up."

Rachel rolls her eyes as she can hear the smile in Judy's voice. "Don't remind me."

"We were wondering if you would come over tomorrow so we can have a birthday dinner celebration?"

She frowns, "My birthday is the fourteenth. It's not for another two days."

"I know that!" Judy laughs. "But Russell and I will be stuck at work that night. And I figured you were already planning on doing something with your friends."

That was true. Rachel had already made plans to go out with Kurt and Blaine on her birthday. But she was still nervous about going over to Judy's house...

"I don't know, Judy. I'm not exactly excited about it this year."

"Rachel, please come. I promise we won't make a big deal about it. And we all miss you. Even Quinn's been asking how you've been, but I have no idea what you're up to either."

Rachel perks up, "Quinn's been asking about me?"

"Yes, she misses you. We _all_ miss you. So will you please come tomorrow?"

The thought of being able to see Quinn again was incredibly tempting. But she still needs to be very careful.

"Okay, but only if it's just the four of us. I don't want anyone else to come."

"Of course! Who else would we even invite?" Judy laughs.

There's just one bitch in particular that Rachel doesn't want anywhere near her.

"I don't know. But I just want this to be a small, intimate thing. I meant it when I said I'm not too excited about celebrating."

"Sure thing, Rachel. I understand. So, is seven o'clock okay with you?"

"That sounds great."

"Wonderful! I'll see you then!"

Rachel puts the phone down and smiles to herself. She suddenly doesn't feel like sleeping anymore.

She was finally going to see Quinn. And for once, she thinks this might actually be a good idea.


	22. Chapter 22

As soon as she gets back from Rachel's house, Quinn throws her bag to the floor and runs her hands over her face.

"It's okay," she whispers. "You're okay."

She sits down on the bed and inhales slowly. Before she's able to control it, she's hyperventilating and crying all over again. Just her luck, she's having a panic attack with no one around to help her.

She quickly grabs her phone to call Santana. She knows that her best friend would be able to calm her down.

"Fuck!" she exclaims when it goes straight to voicemail. She tries Brittany's cell, only for it to do the same thing. Quinn assumes that they're busy together.

She then tries calling Puck. He hasn't exactly been in the loop with what's been going on, but she really needs someone right now and she'll explain everything later.

The call keeps ringing and ringing and Quinn hangs up after a while and curses.

She calls the next person she can think of and sighs in relief when they answer.

"Hello?"

"Marley," she says with a shaky voice. "Hey. Sorry, I just –"

"Quinn? Are you okay?"

"N-not exactly," she stutters out.

"I'm coming over. I'll be there in five minutes."

The line goes silent before Quinn can respond. She tosses it aside and rocks her body back and forth on the bed.

The only thing going through her mind is the look on Rachel's face when she left. She's never hated herself more than she does in this moment. What the hell has she done?

The bedroom door opens and she doesn't even bother looking up.

"The front door was open. So I let myself in…" Marley explains carefully. She frowns and approaches the blonde on the bed. "Hey," she says softly as she pries her hands away from her face.

"It's done," Quinn breathes out as she finally makes eye contact. "I ended things with her."

"You did the right thing," Marley assures.

"Did I?"

"Quinn," the brunette starts rubbing her back. "I've told you a million times that you two weren't right together. And it sucks that you had to see that the hard way. But I'm proud of you for being strong enough to do this."

"Strong?" Quinn scoffs. "Look at me. I'm so fucking weak."

"You're not weak," Marley says sternly. "You know when enough is enough. That's a lot more than most people can say."

She nods. She just has to keep reminding herself why she did this.

"I just…love her," she whimpers.

"You're going to get over her eventually. Trust me."

Quinn frowns at her. "But how? I don't want to feel like this!" she cries.

"It just takes times," the other girl soothes. "The more time that passes, the easier it'll be. And I'm going to be here every step of the way."

"I'm just worried that I didn't think this through. Maybe I should've tried harder. Or given it another chance," Quinn rambles. "Maybe we could've tried to work through this and –"

"Quinn, stop. This turned into a bigger mess than you could handle. I mean, look," she holds out Quinn's injured wrist. "You don't know how much worse it could've gotten. And I'm so glad that you'll never have to."

"What if things were going to get better? What if we got better?"

"Don't think about the what ifs. You know that your relationship was going to be hard no matter what. It wasn't right from the very beginning and you know that."

What she had with Rachel had never felt wrong to her. It always felt like the right thing. Like maybe the only thing that was ever right in her life.

"Maybe we can be together one day, when we're ready," she says as a hopeful statement more than anything.

"You know it would have been impossible to be with her. Not with your situation."

Quinn looks away defeated, "We would have figured it out."

"Look," Marley cups her cheek and turns her head to face her, "I think that you're meant for other things. You and Rachel never made sense. You did the right thing, Quinn. You'll see that in time."

The blonde nods. She doesn't quite believe it yet. But maybe she just needs some rest for now.

"Thank you for coming by. I just needed someone and –"

"And you called me. I told you that I would always be there if you needed me," Marley smiles.

Quinn doesn't have it in her to say that Marley wasn't her first choice person to talk to tonight. But still, she was the only one who would talk to her at all.

"You're a great friend. Like, seriously…I don't know how you've been able to put up with all I've put you through."

"It's nothing," Marley gently strokes her hair. "You know I care about you."

Quinn carefully pulls away and curls up on the bed. "I'm just a mess right now."

"I understand. And like I said, I'll still be here for you."

The blonde exhales, "You know you didn't have to come over."

"You needed someone. You're only human."

Quinn smiles for the first time that night. "But thank you…for everything."

"Don't mention it." Marley lays down next to her. "You need to get some sleep."

"You don't have to stay here with me, you know."

"I know," the brunette scoots closer to her. "But I want to."

When she feels an arm wrap around her waist, Quinn stiffens. "Marley, you really don't."

"Shh, it's okay."

Quinn tries to relax, but she just can't. All she can think about is how she'd rather it be Rachel holding her right now. But she shouldn't be thinking like that.

And maybe Marley is right. Maybe she just needs to give it some time to get over her.

But who's she kidding? Because deep down, she knows that she will never stop loving her.

* * *

Quinn marches through the university library and carelessly tosses her bag on a vacant table, earning a glare from the nearby librarian. She ignores it and pulls out a couple books and plugs in her earphones, then gets to studying.

About half an hour later, out of the corner of her eye, she sees someone pulling out the chair across from her.

She pauses her music and smiles, "Hey."

"Hey," the brunette says back. "I haven't heard from you all day. Is everything okay?"

Quinn sighs. She knows that Marley had texted her throughout the day, but she hasn't responded at all to her friend. She was just having another one of those days. And after getting into it with the professor of her last class, she was in an even worse mood.

"Everything's fine. I guess I just need some time to myself."

"Oh, of course. I'm sorry. I'll stop bothering you then." Marley apologizes and quickly stands.

Quinn shakes her head, "No, it's okay. You don't have to go."

"Are you sure?"

She nods with a gentle smile. The other girl seems relieved and sits back down.

It's been a week since everything happened. And Quinn still feels this cloud of anxiety hanging over her. It can't be healthy.

"What brings you to the library?" she asks Marley, then frowns, "Were you looking for me?"

"No!" Marley answers quickly. "I was just going to do some research on the online database. But then I saw you sitting here by yourself so I thought I'd join you. You didn't want to study at home?"

Quinn shakes her head. "I don't really want to be at home. My parents have been working a lot, so I've been by myself for the past few nights. The house is so quiet and empty and it's kinda depressing."

"I've told you, you can call me if you're ever lonely or bored or just need someone to talk to."

"I know. I just don't want to bother you too much. And I need to deal with…everything on my own."

Quinn still very much thinks of Rachel. Probably every minute of every day. And that isn't changing, no matter how much she tries to distract herself.

"You never bother me. And is it getting easier being away from Rachel?"

Marley reaches across the table and takes her hand. Quinn stares at their conjoined hands, not sure how to feel about it.

She bites her lip. "I can't stop thinking about her."

"Well that's understandable. It's only been a week."

"I want to know if she's okay. I want to talk to her. I want to call her. Or maybe even go over and –"

"Quinn, stop. I'm sure she's fine. And if anything serious happened to her, you would probably hear about it right away."

She stops because that was very much true. She sighs, "It just kills me that she's hurting because of me."

"She's been through break ups before. I mean, she's had a divorce. She's going to be okay, and you will be too."

She knows that her biggest fear is Rachel hating her in the end. Quinn's terrified that she'll find out that she moved away again and out of her life forever.

"Trust me, you will be. And I don't care what it takes, but I'm going to help you get through this," Marley says without hesitation.

Quinn wants to ask her why she's so adamant about helping her. But she decides not to. She's lucky enough to even have someone with her at all. Her best friend was on the other side of the country and it was like Puck disappeared off the face of the earth. Marley was really all that she had now.

"Thank you," she says before packing her books back into her bag. "Hey, I'm starving. Do you want to go get something to eat?"

Marley beams, "I'd love to."

* * *

The days were starting to become easier for Quinn. She was trying to be positive and focus all of her energy on school, which was helpful. And before she knew it, it was already the week of Thanksgiving.

"I love this episode," Marley says from next to her on the couch.

"Mhmm," she hums in agreement.

Another constant presence in Quinn's life has been Marley as of late. When she wasn't texting or calling, the girl was constantly over. Quinn wanted to tell her that she feels like she needs a breather once in a while, but doesn't want to be rude. Marley's been nothing but nice to her so she doesn't feel like she has a place to say anything.

A knock at the front door sounds and both girls turn to each other.

"Were you expecting anyone?" Marley asks.

"No," Quinn says as she gets up to answer it.

The knocking turns into a loud banging.

"I'm coming! Jesus..."

The banging continues.

Quinn swings open the door. "I said I'm...Santana!"

Before Santana can get a word out, the blonde leaps into her arms and squeezes the life out of her.

"Surprise," she squeaks out.

"What are you doing here! What...how?" Quinn asks as she pulls back.

"I flew in this morning with Brittany. We wanted to surprise you and...are you seriously crying right now?"

"No!" Quinn wipes furiously at her eyes. "I'm just so happy to see you!"

"So am I," she says before pulling Quinn in for another hug.

Marley shows up at the door to see what was going on. "Oh, hi Santana."

"Hey Marley," she says back. She looks at Quinn to silently ask what the other girl was doing there, but it was futile since the blonde was still a blubbering mess.

"We weren't expecting anyone to come by today. Are you in town for Thanksgiving?"

Santana doesn't miss the possessive way she says "we". Like really...what the hell?

"Did I come at a bad time?" She looks between the two.

"Of course not! Come on, get inside," Quinn says as she starts pulling her best friend inside the house. "We were just watching tv."

Santana eyes Marley in her way inside.

"As I was saying," she continues as they sit in the couch, "We just flew in this morning. We'll be here for a few days. Brittany is out with her parents so I thought I'd come by. You've been a mess on the phone lately."

"Quinn is actually doing a lot better," Marley cuts in.

"I still can't believe you're here," Quinn smiles. "I thought it'd be months until I saw you again."

"I did too. This was all really last minute. But I was able to make it."

Quinn can't help herself and pulls Santana in for one more hug. She can't get over how much she's missed her.

"You been doing okay, Q?"

"I've had better days, but I'm good."

"You haven't talked to Rachel at all?"

Santana takes notice of the way Marley stiffens at the mention of her name and leans into Quinn's side.

"No, I haven't," Quinn says sadly.

"And that's a good thing," Marley adds. "She doesn't deserve the time of day from Quinn."

"Yeah, for sure," Santana nods along even though she doesn't mean it. At least now, she knows that something is definitely up. "Quinn, can I talk to you alone upstairs?"

Marley narrows her eyes, "There's nothing Quinn has to say that I don't already know about."

If she didn't just get her nails done, Santana would've ripped her throat out right then. "Oh, I know that," she says sweetly before turning to Quinn. "I've just been having some...relationship troubles with Brittany lately. And I really think you could help me."

"Oh!" The blonde stands quickly. "Of course, San. Let's go."

Santana follows Quinn up the stairs. And she honestly can't help herself when she flashes her signature smirk at Marley. Yeah...that'll make the girl squirm while she's waiting.

Once in Quinn's room, the blonde closes the door and goes to sit down on the bed. "So, what's going on with Brittany?"

"Nothing. Her and I are great."

"But you said -"

"I know what I said. Now, what's going on with you and Marley?"

Quinn furrows her brow, "What are you talking about? Nothing is going on with me and Marley."

"Bullshit."

"Okay, you're only here for five minutes and already giving me crap?"

"Because I'm worried about you. Just the other day, you're crying to me over the phone because of Rachel, and now you're banging someone else. It's not like you. So what's going on?"

The blonde rubs her temples. "I swear, I'm not doing anything like that with Marley. I don't even like her like that."

"But does she know that?"

"Of course she does."

"You've actually told her those exact words?"

"She knows, Santana."

"She knows?"

"Yes! I mean -fuck. I'm still in love with Rachel."

"I know you are, Quinn. I just don't want things to blow up in your face. Anymore than they already have at least..."

"I'm sorry." Quinn places her chin in her palm and shakes her head. "I know you're just looking out for me. And I get that Marley being around so much is probably weird. I just don't want to be alone."

"There's nothing wrong with being alone. It would probably do you some good after everything that's happened. Just take some time to get yourself together."

Quinn nods. "It's just being away from Rachel...really sucks."

"I know it does. But it's like me and Brit told you over the phone, if you and her are meant to be together, then so help me god, you will be. When you're ready."

"I think maybe it is meant to be."

"I know it is."

The blonde smiles at her best friend. "Really? Now you're rooting for us?"

Santana smirks, "I guess Rachel grew on me. It was a little weird at first given the...circumstances. But I've seen how you are together. She looks at you like she'd do anything for you."

Quinn feels her heart soar at the thought.

"Stop grinning like an idiot," Santana nudges her.

She purses her lips, "Sorry."

"Yeah yeah...enough of this emotional shit. We need to have a girls night out. And Puck can come too I guess."

"When are you leaving?"

"Friday morning."

Quinn nods.

"And anyway," Santana stands. "I'm gonna get going before Abuela gets mad. Oh, and I'm going to the mall tomorrow to get some early Christmas shopping done. Do you wanna tag along? Around one?"

"I can't," Quinn shakes her head. "I have work until five."

"I'll come by when I'm done then. Is that cool?"

She smiles, "Of course."

The two girls stand and embrace in another hug. One that's not as suffocating for Santana.

"You'll be okay," the girl says softly as she pats Quinn's back. "Things with Rachel will get easier."

"I just love her so much."

"I'm sure she loves you too, Quinn."

* * *

The next day, Quinn heads home right after work and sees that Santana and Brittany were already there waiting for her.

"Just let yourself in," Quinn mumbles to them in greeting.

"You've never complained before," Santana quips.

"I'm so happy to see you, Quinn!" Brittany stands to pull Quinn into a hug.

Quinn smiles and squeezes her, "I missed you, Brittany."

Brittany pulls back and sits next to Santana. "We missed you too. Santana was crying a couple weeks ago because she missed you so much."

Quinn can't help but snicker while her best friend's face turns beet red.

Luckily, Santana is saved by the bell as a knock sounds at the front door. "I'll get it!" she says before quickly hopping off the couch and making a dash for it.

"Oh, hello Marley," she says dryly as she opens the door.

"Hey Santana," the girl replies with even less enthusiasm.

"Marley!" Brittany calls out from the living room.

"Brittany," Marley smiles. "It's so good to see you!"

After hugging the bubbly blonde, she turns to Quinn, "Is everything okay?"

"Of course. Santana was just telling me how much she missed me," she teases her best friend.

"Whatever," Santana glares. "But anyway, guess who I ran into at the mall."

Quinn frowns at her friend's smirk. She glances at Brittany who's sporting a similar expression. "Who?" she asks.

"A certain hot midget…"

Her eyes widen. "You ran into Rachel?"

Santana nods, "Yeah. We talked for a bit."

Quinn leans forward from her spot on the couch. "How did she look? Is she doing okay?"

Santana opens her mouth to respond but is cut off by more questions.

"What did you talk about? Did she say anything about me?"

"Chill out, Q-tip. Have some patience."

"Santana!"

"Fine! Holy fuck. I went into the Calvin Klein store and she was working. Ya happy?"

Quinn furrows her brow, "She works there now?"

Santana shrugs, "Yeah, I guess so."

"Did she quit Breadstix?"

"I don't know?"

"What did she say?"

"Hmm," Santana brings a finger up to her chin in mock contemplation. Also to make an impatient Quinn squirm just a little longer.

"Well?"

"All we really talked about was you. That was like...the first thing out of her mouth."

"What about me?"

"She just wanted to know how you were doing and if you were okay. You know, the same shit you're asking me."

Quinn suddenly feels comfort in knowing that Rachel is thinking about her too.

When Marley nudges her, she looks up only to watch the girl subtly shake her head in disapproval, but she ignores it. "Did she say anything else?"

Santana purses her lips. "She asked me if I thought there was still a chance for you two."

Quinn sucks in a breath of air. "What did you say to her?"

Her friend meets her eyes. "I said that I really do. And I might've said that I'm rooting for you," Santana blushes slightly.

"So she wants us to be together? She doesn't...hate me?"

Santana rolls her eyes, "Don't be a dumbass. Of course she wants to be with you."

"Should I go see her? Or do you think it's too soon?"

"I don't think that's a good idea," Marley speaks up suddenly. "I mean, it's only been a few weeks, right?"

Santana sighs. She really hates to agree with her...

"She's right, Quinn. When you try to force things before they're ready, then you just run into the same problems all over again. Trust me, I know. You just have to let the universe do its thing. When the time is right, you'll know it."

She nods. "Yeah, I know. I just feel so stupid for breaking up with her and regretting it right away."

"Things were getting hard for you two." Santana makes sure to look pointedly at Marley. "And you both needed a break. It happens."

Quinn smiles, "Thank you, Santana. I've literally been going crazy wondering about her lately."

"Well, what can I say?" Santana shrugs.

"Don't worry, Quinn. It'll be okay with Rachel," Brittany chimes in. "That's totally hot by the way..."

Quinn and Santana both laugh at the blonde's statement.

Yet another knock sounds at the door and Brittany bounces up from the couch to answer it.

Quinn turns to Santana with a questioning look.

The girl smirks, "Another surprise."

Brittany throws the door open and Quinn leans over to see Puck walking in with a huge grin and a case of beer.

"Puck!" she calls out.

"Hey guys! Hang on, I just need to put this in the fridge."

Quinn gets up and runs to follow the boy to the kitchen. When he's finally within reach, she punches him hard in the arm.

"Ow! What the hell?" he asks as he rubs his arm.

"You asshole! Where have you been?"

"Hey, calm down. I'm sorry."

The other three girls join them in the kitchen just in time.

"I haven't heard from you in weeks!"

"I know! I'm sorry. I've been busy. School is a lot harder for me than it is for you guys," he mumbles, embarrassed.

Quinn sighs, "I've just been going through a hard time and -"

"I'm an asshole, I know. But I promise I'll be around more. The semester is almost over."

She nods and supposes that she'll let it slide for now.

"Anyway, now that we're all back together, we need to celebrate," he smirks mischievously.

Santana opens the fridge and hands a beer to everyone. "Let's do this."

* * *

There was enough beer to give everyone a good buzz. And after hours of laughing and drinking games and stories, everyone was ready to call it a night.

"You guys make sure to text me when you get home," Quinn tells everyone. "You're all coming over on Thursday for Thanksgiving, right?"

"I said I would." Puck leans in for a one-armed hug. "But I really gotta go. Kitty's been texting me all night."

"I'm surprised she's still with your ass," Santana says as they all gather by the front door.

"So am I," he shrugs. "I'll see you guys later."

Quinn turns to the other three girls. "You guys good?"

Santana speaks, "You know it." She then grabs Brittany's hand and pulls the blonde through the door. "See you Thursday!"

Quinn waves them off and watches until they're safely in the car. She then turns to Marley, "Are you good?"

"Actually..." Marley shifts from one foot to the other. "Would it be okay if I stayed the night?"

"Yeah," Quinn closes the door. "Of course you can stay."

She heads up the stairs with Marley right behind her. When she gets to her room, she falls straight on the bed, not bothering to change.

"Mmm, bed," she mumbles.

She hears Marley chuckle and feels her lie down next to her. She then turns to face the girl.

"Is my face red?" she asks.

"I don't know. It's dark in here, silly," Marley replies softly.

"Oh," she snorts at herself.

"Don't tell me you got drunk off of four beers."

"No," Quinn laughs. "Not drunk. Just feel good."

"Me too."

Marley scoots closer and nuzzles her cheek. "This is nice," she whispers.

"Mhmm."

She brushes her lips over the blonde's. Then lightly kisses her lower lip.

When there's no protest, she proceeds to kiss her more fully.

"Wait," Quinn sits up suddenly. "I don't think this is a good idea."

Marley frowns and sits up with her. "What's wrong?"

Quinn smiles sadly, "Look, I think you're amazing. And you're a great friend. But I don't think starting a friends with benefits thing is a good idea."

"Friends with benefits?" Marley asks incredulously. "Quinn, I want so much more than that with you."

The blonde freezes at her words. "What are you talking about?"

"I know that you're not ready for another relationship," Marley explains. "But I really care about you. And I want us to give it a shot in the future. We'd be perfect together."

Quinn stares at her silently, not sure what to say.

"You know we would be. You can't say that you don't feel anything for me." It was a hopeful question more than anything else.

"Marley," Quinn says carefully. "I'm sorry. I really am. But I still -"

"Don't say it's because of Rachel," Marley pleads. "She's not good enough for you."

"I don't know what you want me to say. I'm sorry, I just don't feel anything like that towards you."

Marley laughs humorlessly, "So you don't want to be with me because I'm not your aunt? Would you want me then?"

Quinn feels anger building up inside of her. "It's not like that and you know it."

"Well how do you think I feel? Do you know how crazy this whole thing is?"

She knows that the girl is hurt and it's because of her. She should've just listened to Rachel from the beginning.

She takes a deep breath, "Obviously, we both want different things from each other."

Marley looks at her with sad eyes.

"And I care about you. But I don't think we should be friends. For now at least. Not with the way you feel and with everything going on."

The girl studies her for a moment before standing hastily. "Fine. If that's what you want."

"Marley...I know that I'm not exactly a good person -"

"But you are, Quinn. You're so great and I fell for you because of that. If you don't want to be with me right now, then fine. Just don't take Rachel back. She needs to stay away from you."

Quinn looks at her sharply, "That's up to me. I never meant for any of this to happen. But I love _Rachel_."

Marley looks at the floor and clenches her jaw. "You're going to see one day, Quinn. And I'll be there when you do."

Before Quinn can say anything more, Marley storms away and slams the door shut.


	23. Chapter 23

After Santana and Brittany had gone back to California, the days were coming and going in a blur for Quinn once again. The finally semester ended and she was relieved to have aced all of her classes. Now all she had to worry about was work, so she spent most of her days focused on her writing.

She hasn't heard from Marley since that night they had a falling out. She really does feel guilty with everything that happened, but things were getting too out of control with her. And she's sure the girl will be fine in the end.

Santana was right. She needed time to herself.

She was now in the middle of reading another Jane Austen book alone in her room on another night off from work. She stops every now and then to push her hair out of her face, slightly annoyed.

One thing that Santana decided to do before she left was take Quinn out to get a new hairstyle. And while it was a lot shorter than the blonde was used to, she was glad to have a change for once. But she was still having to deal with it falling in her face...

There's a knock at her door and she pauses to put her book down. "Come in."

Judy opens the door and steps into the room. "Hey Quinn, you don't work tomorrow do you?"

"No, I'm off. Why?"

"I invited Rachel over tomorrow night. For sort of a birthday dinner."

Quinn frowns. "But her birthday's not until the fourteenth," she points out.

Judy blinks at her daughter, "I'm surprised you even remember it."

The girl panics for a moment. "I'm just good at remembering dates! You know?"

Her mother simply shrugs. "Well your father and I are working that night. So I thought I'd invite Rachel tomorrow instead."

"Did she say she was coming?" Quinn asks hopefully. She remembers the disappointment she felt when she heard that Rachel had turned down joining then for Thanksgiving.

"She said she would. We agreed on seven o'clock, so make sure you're home."

Quinn nods, "I'll be here."

Judy smiles, "Alright then. I'll see you in the morning!"

Her mother shuts the door, leaving her alone to her thoughts. Rachel would be here. Tomorrow. She was going to see Rachel tomorrow!

Quinn doesn't know if she should be excited or anxious. But she's both. Excited to be able to see and hopefully talk to the woman again. Anxious because she doesn't know if things would be tense between them.

But mostly, she can't wait.

* * *

Rachel takes a deep breath as she walks up the Fabray driveway.

When she reaches the front door, she stares at it for a moment. This was it. This was the night that she would see Quinn again. And she didn't know what to expect.

Deciding there's no use in waiting any longer, she quickly wraps on the door. She was already fifteen minutes late as it is since she took too long getting ready. She must've changed her outfit at least five times, but decided on a simple black dress in the end.

Judy opens the door and her eyes instantly lights up. "Rachel!"

"Hey Judy," Rachel replies as she steps inside. "Sorry I'm late." She takes her coat off and Judy promptly takes it from her.

"Don't worry about it."

"Hi Rachel," Russell pops his head out from the kitchen. "I'm still working on dinner, so it'll be a few minutes. Oh, and happy birthday!"

"Thank you," she smiles.

She follows her sister into the living room, where the older blonde goes to the base of the stairs and yells out, "Quinn! Get down here!"

Rachel bites her lip and starts fidgeting her hands behind her back.

"Sorry. She's probably taking her time getting ready," Judy says.

She quickly shakes her head. "It's okay. No need to rush her."

Judy ignores her. "Quinn!"

"Really, it's okay."

A door can be heard opening before a serene voice calls out, "Okay mom! I'm coming."

Rachel holds her breath as she watches Quinn walk down the stairs. Almost in slow-motion. Like something out of a movie. Cut it out, Rachel tells herself.

When the blonde reaches the bottom, their eyes instantly lock.

"Hi Quinn."

"Hi."

"Nice of you to join us," Judy remarks.

Quinn rolls her eyes, "I was getting ready."

"Did you wish your aunt a happy birthday yet?"

It was Rachel's turn to roll her eyes now.

"I told you it's not her birthday yet."

"Quinn!"

Rachel purses her lips to keep from smiling.

Quinn sighs, "Happy birthday, Rachel."

"Thank you."

She doesn't expect it when Quinn suddenly pulls her in close for a hug, but doesn't hesitate to reciprocate it.

"I think something's burning. I'll be right back!" Judy calls out as she runs to the kitchen, leaving them alone.

Rachel clutches at the girl even tighter and nuzzles into her shoulder. Quinn exhales in relief as they hold each other for a little longer.

"I wasn't trying to be an ass," Quinn says as she pulls away. "I know that your birthday is technically tomorrow."

"I know," Rachel chuckles. "It's okay." She reaches up to run her fingers through blonde locks. "Your hair is different."

"Yeah, I cut it."

"I can see that."

"I just needed a change."

"Well, it looks more...you," Rachel smiles. "You look great."

"So do you. You always look great."

This was unexpected. She doesn't feel any awkwardness at all being around the younger girl.

Rachel decides to get a little bolder. "I've missed you," she whispers.

Quinn's breath hitches. "I've missed you too. You have no idea."

"I'm sure I do."

They jump apart when Judy comes back into the living room. "Crisis averted. There's a reason Russell isn't allowed to be alone in the kitchen," she jokes before frowning at the two girls. "Is everything okay?"

"Of course!" Rachel chimes a little too enthusiastically. "Are we ready to eat? I'm starving."

Judy nods, "Yes, let's eat!"

* * *

This situation was incredibly familiar to Rachel. Where she has to sit across from Russell and Judy while she was forced to hide her feelings about their daughter, all while the girl was right next to her.

Only this time, she and Quinn had nothing to hide anymore. But that doesn't mean the feelings weren't still there.

"So how do you like working at Kurt's store?" Judy asks.

"I'm enjoying it quite a bit. Definitely more than Breadstix."

"I've always thought you were better than that place anyway," Judy says as Quinn nods in agreement.

"That's what everyone says," she murmurs.

"Because it's true," Quinn says pointedly. They stare at each other again very briefly before looking away.

"What else have you been up to?" Russell asks. "How's the glee club?"

Rachel beams, "They were able to pull off first place at Sectionals. Blaine is an amazing instructor."

"You know you're just as talented," Quinn adds in.

"Yes!" Judy exclaims. "And I have the tapes from your high school performances to prove it."

"What?" Rachel's eyes widen. "You seriously still have those?"

"I have to see this," Quinn grins at her.

She narrows her eyes. "Yeah...how about no."

Quinn covers her heart, feigning being upset. "You mean you don't want me to see how great of a singer you were in high school?"

"Quinn! Seriously?"

"Why can't I see them?"

As they continue to bicker back and forth, Judy looks to Russell with a frown. The man just shrugs and sips more of his wine.

"Okay, you know what, how about this!" Rachel huffs. "I have some news to share with you all anyway."

Judy leans forward in anticipation. "What's going on, Rachel?"

She clears her throat, "Kurt and I just happened to be cast as leads in the White Christmas musical at the Lima Theatre. Opening night is this Friday, and I would love it if you all could make it."

"What!"

"That's amazing!"

"Congratulations!"

Everyone chimes in at once and Rachel can't help but smile proudly. "It's at seven thirty. They still have a few tickets available."

"Oh, damn!" Judy curses. "Russell and I have work that night."

"Oh! It's no worries! We have shows all the way up until Christmas."

"Yes, but I still feel horrible for missing opening night."

"It's okay," Rachel smiles. "What about you, Quinn?"

Quinn nods, "I have work, but I'll switch shifts or something. Don't worry, I'll be there."

The woman regards her, before smiling softly, "Thank you."

She quickly looks away when she remembers that they have an audience.

* * *

The rest of dinner went off without a hitch. And before Rachel knew it, it was time to go.

"Thank you so much for doing this," she says to Judy as she puts her coat on. "I really appreciate it."

"It's no worries. And again, happy birthday," her sister smiles.

Rachel hugs the three of them, saving Quinn for last and trying not to linger for too long.

"Actually," Quinn suddenly grabs her own coat. "I'll walk Rachel home. So I can find out more about how to get those tickets."

Her parents nod as the two girls step outside.

"You be careful, Quinn," Russell says before he and Judy go back inside.

She waves him off and walks alongside Rachel out of the driveway and down the street, snow falling lightly all around them.

Neither say a word until they're around the corner, and it's Rachel who speaks.

"You don't have to worry about buying a ticket. Blaine got two in the front row for him and whoever else. I'll just tell him that you're going."

"If you're sure that's okay."

Rachel lightly bumps their shoulders. "Absolutely." She lightly takes hold of Quinn's elbow as they walk, and smiles to herself when the girl doesn't pull away.

They finally reach the front door, but she doesn't go in right away.

"I'm really happy I got to see you again," she says.

"So am I. Maybe this can be a regular occurrence?" Quinn asks hopefully.

"You know I couldn't stay away from you even if I wanted to," Rachel husks and watches as hazel eyes begin to darken.

Quinn tears her gaze away and looks down at the ground. "Santana said that she ran in you at the mall," she changes the subject.

Rachel nods, "Yes, she did. I was surprisingly happy to see her," she wrinkles her nose at the thought. She then remembers something else. "Marley actually came by too."

"Marley?" Quinn's head snaps back up. "When did she go by?"

"The day after Santana did," Rachel answers, still annoyed at the incident.

Quinn frowns, "Rachel...what did she say?"

She sighs, "She said that you're too good for me and that I need to stay away from you."

The blonde's expression hardens. "She had no right to do that."

Rachel nods in agreement. "She also told me that you slept together."

"Jesus Christ..." Quinn mumbles as she runs a hand through her hair. She looks back up at Rachel. "Look, that isn't true. I need you to know that I would _never_ -"

"I know you wouldn't, Quinn," she smiles sadly. "I believe I even told her as much."

The blonde swallows. "She kissed me. But that's it. I made her stop as soon as it started."

Rachel turns away with a scowl. She just knew it. She _knew_ that bitch would try something.

"And then I ended my friendship with her," Quinn continues. "Maybe for good."

"Can't say that I'll miss her," Rachel chuckles dryly. "But I'm glad that you stood up for yourself."

"I guess it was too little too late," the blonde mumbles.

"Quinn," the older woman says to get her attention. "Don't worry about what happened with me. All I want is for you to be happy. And maybe you do things at your own pace, but as long as you do them for yourself."

Quinn nods, more to herself than anything. "Being around you makes me happy."

"Then I guess this means I have to stick around," Rachel jokes, making Quinn smile.

"Seems that way," she says before clearing her throat. "Anyway, I should probably get going before my mom starts to worry."

Rachel nods, "Yeah. But I'll see you Friday, right?"

"Of course. I can't wait." She lightly grazes her hand with her fingertips. "Bye Rachel."

"Bye Quinn," Rachel says softly as she watches the girl walk away.

* * *

Rachel rolls onto her back, unable to sleep. She's still on a high from tonight. High from seeing Quinn.

Everything went better than she expected. And she's thankful more than anything that she and the girl can still be playful and honest with each other.

She's going to do whatever she can to not royally fuck this up.

Her phone begins to go off on the night stand and it startles her. She frowns before grabbing it, only to smile at the screen.

**Quinn: It's after midnight...so happy birthday old lady :)**

She rolls her eyes and types out her reply.

**Rachel: I resent that. But I'll let it slide just this once.**

**Quinn: I hope you have an amazing day.**

Rachel blows out a puff of air. She did have work in the morning. But Kurt promised to take her out for drinks afterwards. So nothing too extravagant.

**Rachel: It already is...**

**Quinn: 3**

She bites her lip at the simple text. It's not really much but it gives her so much hope.

**Rachel: Thank you for letting me into your life. While I'm sure I can survive, it just doesn't feel right without you around.**

She wonders if that statement was too heavy.

**Quinn: I know what you mean. It's not. I promise that no matter what happens, I'll still be here for you.**

Rachel smiles.

**Rachel: I promise too.**

* * *

Opening night was already here, and Rachel was feeling some pre-show jitters. But that was probably normal, considering she hasn't performed in years.

She was cramped with all of the other actors in the tiny dressing room, attempting to get her hair and makeup done perfectly.

While she's doing the finishing touches, Kurt plops down on the seat next to her with a bouquet of flowers.

"Guess what just got sent for you," he smiles before holding them out to her.

She furrows her brow and takes the bouquet. She notices a note attached and reads it.

_You're going to be amazing out there. I'll see you when it's over. Break a leg! Or at least try not to break a hip...you old lady :)_

Rachel snorts loudly and shakes her head with a smile.

"Quinn?" Kurt asks.

"Mhmm," she nods. "She got her ticket, right?"

"Yes!" he smiles. "Blaine text me saying they met up outside. They should be in their seats by now."

"I'm so nervous," she says. "But in a good way!"

"I know! It's so exciting. Don't worry, we're going to be great."

A production assistant appears at the dressing room door and calls out Kurt's name, along with a few other cast members to the stage.

"See you out there!" he squeezes her shoulder before hurrying to the stage.

She looks back into the mirror and takes a deep breath.

"You can do this," she tells herself. "You're going to be amazing."

* * *

As soon as she steps onto the stage for her first scene, Quinn is the first person she sees when she looks at the audience. The girl look so beautiful. However, she knows that she can't linger for too long and immediately gets into character.

The first song is performed perfectly. She was glad that her cast mate was competent enough to keep up. So their performance of _Sisters_ was nearly flawless and got a huge round of applause.

When Kurt and the other actor went on to perform the same song right after Rachel did, the audience was roaring with laughter as they had their movements and gestures down to a tee.

The rest of the show went on with a couple minor hiccups here and there. But given that it was a community theatre production, these things were expected.

Rachel was relieved to get through a particularly complicated dance number towards the end without falling on her face. Her dance partner stumbled for a moment, but nobody seemed to notice. They'll have to work on that, she thinks.

She was having so much fun. She forgot how exhilarating this rush felt. It was just incredible. And to see the audience so into their performances made it all the more worthwhile. Kurt was right.

Before she knows it, they've reached their final number for the evening. And as the whole cast sings their hearts out, she casts her gaze on Quinn, whose eyes shine the brightest of everyone around her.

She knows that Rachel is singing to her.

_"What do I care how much it may storm?_

_I've got my love to keep me warm."_

As they belt out the final notes, the entire audience gets on their feet for a deafening round of applause.

Of course Quinn and Blaine are both jumping up and down in the very front. And Rachel giggles at them as she and the rest of the cast take their bows. It was so worth it.

After they're changed back into their regular clothes, Rachel and Kurt meet the other two at the entrance of the theater. Kurt immediately embraces his boyfriend while Quinn does the same to Rachel.

"You were so amazing!" the girl gushes as she lifts her up in a hug. "Wow! I loved it! Can I come to the next show?"

Rachel laughs, "You can come to as many shows as you'd like."

"Hey Rachel," Kurt gets her attention. "We're gonna head out, so I'll catch you later. And as always, it's a pleasure seeing you Quinn," he winks.

They all say their goodbyes before Kurt and Blaine take off. Quinn turns to Rachel with an unsure expression.

"Do you maybe want to go eat somewhere?" she asks hesitantly.

Rachel grins and takes her hand. "Yes, I'm starving. Let's get out of here."

* * *

Quinn had managed to attend every single performance, much to Rachel's surprise. Not that she was complaining, of course. And every night it was the same. After Rachel brought the house down (as Quinn put it), they would go out to eat together after each show.

Rachel can admit to herself that she's mainly sad the production is ending because it means Quinn won't have to spend as much time with her anymore. But unbeknownst to her, that was the last thing the blonde wanted.

Since Kurt and Blaine were going to be an hour away spending Christmas with Blaine's family, she didn't have any plans for the holiday. Russell and Judy were working both Christmas Eve and Day, but decided that they would all celebrate the day after instead.

So she decided to try her luck and invite Quinn over so that they wouldn't have to be alone. The girl could've already had plans for all she knew. But she thought she might as well try.

She was pleasantly surprised when Quinn agreed to come over. And Rachel felt content as they spent the whole day together watching Christmas films on tv while the fireplace was going. She loves this because it reminds her of when she was Quinn's girlfriend.

Later in the evening, as _It's a Wonderful Life_ was ending, Quinn takes a moment to stretch out her arms.

"I always love watching this movie," she says.

"Me too," Rachel yawns.

"So, what's on next?"

"Actually," Rachel throws a smirk at Quinn before suddenly getting up from the couch and bounding off to her room.

"Rachel?" Quinn calls out, confused.

"I'll be right back," she says as she rushes to her closet to retrieve her Christmas gift.

When she returns, Quinn takes one quick glance at the wrapped gift and quickly says, "Rachel, you didn't have to get me anything."

She drops down next to Quinn on the couch and shrugs. "I know. But I did anyway. Merry Christmas."

The girl takes the gift and carefully unwraps it. She smiles when she sees that it's a very elegant leather-bound journal.

"I know most people write on their computers or tablets or whatever nowadays," Rachel explains. "But, I also know that you're old fashioned. And I thought I could give you some inspiration with your writing," she smiles.

"This is perfect." Quinn turns to her, "Thank you so much."

"You're welcome," she says softly.

She frowns when Quinn gets up and walks to her coat that was hanging by the front door. Rachel's eyes widen when she sees her pull something shiny out of her coat pocket. Quinn got her something as well?

When the blonde returns, she presents her with a small, narrow, rectangular box that was wrapped in gold wrapping paper. Her favorite color.

"So," Quinn clears her throat as she sits down and hands it over. "Merry Christmas."

After Rachel gets the wrapping paper off, she delicately opens the box and brings a hand to her mouth, gasping. "Quinn..."

She gapes down at the necklace staring up at her. It was exactly like the one she had gotten for Quinn several months prior.

"I know it may seem weird," the blonde explains. "But I actually got it for your birthday, you know, before we broke up. And I thought, since it's Christmas and everything, I still want you to have it. But if you don't want it, I completely understand. I just…I don't know. I'm rambling."

"Of course I still want it," Rachel rasps out, trying not to cry. She looks back up at Quinn. "Do you still have yours?"

"Yeah, I do." Quinn reaches inside of the collar of her sweater to pull her own necklace out. "I never take it off."

Rachel smiles before cautiously taking her own necklace out of the box. "I love it," she says. She then wraps the chain around her neck and clasps the two ends together. "Thank you."

"I'm glad you like it."

The woman responds by leaning over and pressing a chaste kiss to her cheek, causing Quinn to blush. She then wraps her arms around the blonde's waist and rests her head against her chest.

Quinn sighs and holds her close. Neither girl says anything more.

Rachel eventually falls asleep, making Quinn smile. She wants so much to tell the woman just how much she still loves her.

But for now, she's content in just having Rachel in her arms.


	24. Chapter 24

"What time is Noah picking you up?" Russell asks as he absentmindedly scrolls through his phone.

"He should be here any minute now," Quinn answers from her place next to him on the couch.

It was New Year's Eve and Quinn's plans consisted of going to Puck's party while her parents had to work overnight again.

"You be careful tonight, Quinn," her father says sternly. "You wouldn't believe how many people we have come in at the hospital because of drinking and driving on New Years."

"Dad, you know me," she smiles. "I'll be fine."

He looks at her for a moment and sighs, "I know you're all grown up now. But you'll always be my little girl."

"But you still have to trust me to make my own choices," she reminds him.

He smiles sadly and nods at her words. "It just all happened so fast. I mean, one minute you're sitting on my lap at baseball games, and the next minute, you're in college. I think that maybe I wasn't there for you enough."

Quinn takes in her father's sentiment and leans her head on his shoulder. "You've always been there for me. I couldn't have asked for a better dad."

"I couldn't have asked for a better daughter," he answers.

They continue to sit there in silence. She feels guilty about not seeing her parents that much lately. But they've all been so busy.

After a beat, Quinn asks, "When are you leaving for work?"

"As soon as your mom is finished getting ready," he laughs.

The doorbell rings and Quinn sighs, "It's probably Puck."

"I'll get it," Russell says as he gets up from the couch.

Quinn gets up to grab her jacket and purse, but pauses when she hears a familiar voice.

"Hey Russell! I'm just returning this tuppleware from the other night."

She smiles and makes her way to the front door.

"Thanks! I'll go let Judy know that you're here," Russell says as he lets Rachel into the foyer. He passes Quinn on the way to the stairs and hands her the plastic containers. "Hey kiddo. Can you put these away?"

"Sure thing."

As soon as he's out of sight, she turns to Rachel and grins, "Hey."

"Hi Quinn."

She makes her way to the kitchen while Rachel follows behind her. "I thought you were going to Kurt and Blaine's party?" she asks.

"Yeah, I was actually going to head over in a little while."

Quinn nods, "I hope you have fun."

"I'm hoping it'll be interesting," the woman says. "Are you sure you don't want to come with me?"

"I really want to, Rach. Trust me. But I already told Puck that I'd go to his party. And he's having such a hard time after his break up with Kitty that I don't to make him feel even worse."

Rachel nods, "It's okay. Just thought I'd ask."

"How about we do something tomorrow?" Quinn offers. "I'm off. You're off. Let's spend time together."

The woman smiles. Truthfully, they had been spending a lot of time together as of late. But she won't complain. "I'd like that."

Quinn nods and leans against the counter. "So, think there's any attractive bachelors that you'll be kissing at midnight?" she teases.

Rachel rolls her eyes. "I'm pretty sure it's going to be nothing but surprisingly gay men tonight. And this other married woman from the theater and her husband. So probably not. Not that I would, anyway. What about you?"

Quinn grimaces. "Men? Gross, no."

The brunette chuckles. "What about any girls?"

"I doubt it," Quinn shrugs. "The last girl that kissed me was Marley, which was weird. So I don't think I'm up for making out with some random girl."

"Oh." Rachel looks away and purses her lips.

The blonde's eyes widen. "I'm sorry! That was stupid of me. I didn't mean to bring her up again."

"No, it's not that, Quinn."

Quinn frowns, "Then what is it?"

Rachel sighs before looking up to make eye contact again. "I just...I don't know. _I_ would like to have been the last one to kiss you this year."

"Rachel..."

"I know, it's not an appropriate thing to say. But I -"

Before Rachel can say anymore, Quinn's lips are covering hers. She gasps and pulls the girl closer to eagerly return the kiss. Their lips move together in perfect synch for one blissful moment.

Unfortunately, that moment is short-lived when they hear footsteps approaching.

They jump apart as soon as Judy walks into the kitchen.

"Rachel! I'm so sorry you had to wait for me."

Rachel runs a hand through her hair to gather herself and smiles, "It's no worries, Judy. I'm sorry you have to work tonight."

Judy scoffs, "I have to work every New Years, so this is nothing new to us."

Quinn locks eyes with Rachel for a brief second before turning away.

"Okay, well I really need to get going to my thing. But I'll stop by again soon, okay?" Rachel says to Judy as she makes her way out of the kitchen.

"Sure thing! Don't be a stranger!"

"I won't!" Rachel calls out before they hear the front door shut.

Judy turns to her daughter and frowns, "I thought Puck was picking you up?"

"He is. Just running late, as usual."

Something on the counter catches her eye and Quinn has to fight the grin from forming in her face.

"Looks like Rachel forgot her phone. I'm gonna go take it to her really quick before she leaves," she says as she grabs the device.

Judy nods. "Okay. Well in case I don't see you before you leave, happy new year!"

"Same to you, mom!" Quinn yells as she rushes out of the house and into the cold night air.

She forgot to grab her jacket, but ignores it as she hurries to Rachel's house. When she finally reaches her destination, she quickly rings the doorbell.

The door opens right away, and Quinn wouldn't be surprised if Rachel was waiting for her.

"Oh, you brought my phone...that I forgot. How sweet of you," the woman smiles.

Quinn rolls her eyes. "Did you didn't leave it there on -"

She's suddenly yanked inside the house by the small woman. As soon as she's inside, Rachel slams the door shut and pushes her up against the wall.

"God," Quinn moans as their lips connect once again. She cups Rachel's neck and deepens the kiss, allowing their tongues to dance together.

Rachel's hands start to roam her chest, which Quinn doesn't mind. The woman then pulls back and latches onto her neck, sucking hard.

"Fuck," she breathes out.

She feels her phone vibrating in her pocket and braces her hands against Rachel's shoulders. "Hang on a second."

Rachel stops what she's doing and looks at Quinn in confusion. The blonde pulls her phone out and sees that Puck's calling.

"Shit. Puck's at the house to pick me up."

"Seriously? He has great timing," Rachel mumbles.

"Tell me about it," Quinn says as she straightens out her shirt. They stare at each other for a moment. Rachel leans up to press their lips together once again.

"I'll miss you," the blonde whispers.

Rachel nods and licks her lips. "Will you come over later? If you can?"

Quinn's breath catches in her throat. "Yeah, I will." She's not taking her car tonight. But she'll figure something out.

"Good."

She groans when she feels her phone vibrating again. She swipes the screen to answer and shouts, "I'm coming!" Then hangs up.

She looks at Rachel one last time and presses a kiss to her cheek. "Bye."

When Quinn turns around and leaves the house, the woman smiles to herself and brings her hand up to her cheek.

* * *

Later that night, Rachel finishes her third glass of wine and leans her back against the wall. Kurt, Blaine, and their merry group of friends were huddled around the table playing board games. She wasn't really in the mood to play. Her mind keeps going back to earlier with Quinn.

Speaking of which, she decides to text the girl and starts typing on her phone.

**Rachel: Quinn! They're playing scrabble! SCRABBLE! Help me :(**

**Quinn: But scrabble sounds like so much fun :)**

She pouts.

**Rachel: There's so many other things I'd rather be doing.**

**Quinn: Like what?**

She glances around to make sure no one's paying any attention to her. She then smirks.

**Rachel: You...**

* * *

In Puck's kitchen, Quinn chokes on her drink and starts having a coughing fit. Luckily, Sam Evans is there and starts thumping her on the back.

"You okay, Quinn?" he asks with concern.

She gives him a thumbs up and croaks out, "I'm fine. Just went down the wrong pipe I guess."

He frowns, "Well let me or Puck know if you need anything."

"I think I'm gonna go get some air," she says as she steps around him. "But thanks."

When she's out in the backyard, she zips up her jacket and pulls her phone out to hastily reply.

**Quinn: Rachel!**

**Rachel: What? It's true.**

**Quinn: You're impossible.**

**Rachel: :(**

Quinn chuckles to herself and heads back inside. She needs another drink...

* * *

Across town, Rachel is grinning mischievously from her place on the couch. She was still texting Quinn and it seems the girl was a little more relaxed in their conversation than she was an hour or so ago.

"You okay?" Kurt eyes her as he walks by to get a refill.

"I'm fine," she waves him off.

"How much have you had to drink?"

She looks down at her...maybe sixth glass of wine and giggles.

"I'll drive you home later, okay?" Kurt offers.

She nods and thanks him before getting back on her phone.

**Rachel: What do you think about when you... ;)**

**Quinn: You. That's the only way I can get off.**

Rachel can feel her body temperature rapidly heating up. Thinking of Quinn's body hovering over hers is her only way of getting off on those lonely nights as well.

**Rachel: What do you think about doing to me?**

**Quinn: Hmm I don't remember...**

**Rachel: Quinn!**

**Quinn: How about I just show you later?**

She takes a deep breath to get herself together.

**Rachel: Are you still coming over after your party?**

**Quinn: :)**

* * *

"Five! Four! Three! Two! One!"

Everyone cheers out as the clock strikes midnight. Quinn joins in on it and stumbles around the living room trying to hug everyone.

"Happy New Year, Quinn!" Puck shouts as he wraps an arm around her shoulders to hold her steady.

"Puckerman!" she grins. "I love you!"

"I love you too!" he laughs. "How drunk are you?"

"I don't know. But I love you!"

He smiles and gently sits her down on the couch before leaving to see the rest of his friends.

She leans on the arm of the couch for a moment, then feels her phone vibrating in her pocket.

She looks down at the screen.

**Rachel: happy new yearr beautiful :))**

Quinn snorts. It seems like she's not the only one that's had a bit to drink.

**Quinn: your so crazy**

**Rachel: Crazy for u maybe**

The blonde purses her lips and blushes.

She looks back down when her phone goes off again.

**Rachel: can this year be our year**

Quinn smiles.

**Quinn: it will be**

* * *

An hour later, after Rachel had texted her saying she was on her way home, Quinn went around to everyone at the party trying to find someone that was sober enough and willing enough to drop her off.

In the end, she was able to convince Mike Chang to do it without too much begging. As soon as he pulls up to Rachel's house, she jumps out of the car and yells out her thanks before he even has a chance to park.

When his car backs out and disappears down the street, Quinn smirks and marches up to the front door.

"Rachel!" She pounds on the wood. "Rachel! Open up!"

The door swings open and the woman grabs her by the hand.

"Hush!" Rachel scolds with a playful smile.

Quinn giggles as she's pulled into the house and makes sure to shut the door behind her. "Rachel?" she whispers in the dark.

The woman leads her to the bedroom, staggering a little bit.

"Hey...ow!" Quinn loses her footing and tumbles, only to catch herself on the wall. She's held up with the woman's hands on her waist.

Rachel takes the opportunity to hold her in place and kiss her hungrily, much like the position they were in earlier. She sucks on her bottom lip, making the girl moan. She then hurriedly strips Quinn of her jacket.

She lets out her own moan when two hands undo her pants and begin to tug them down her legs.

"Bed. Now," Rachel demands as she kicks off her jeans.

She barely makes it onto her bed when Quinn pounces on top of her, pinning her against the mattress. They resume their kissing until the blonde can't take it anymore.

"Rach..."

"I know."

Quinn sits up and fumbles with her own belt buckle while the woman below her hastily pulls off their Quinn's shirt followed by her own.

"Shit," Quinn mutters, becoming frustrated.

Rachel leans forward to still her hands and work with the belt buckle herself, then quickly unfastens her pants and pulls them midway down her thighs. Quinn kicks them off the rest of the way.

When the blonde turns back around to face her, Rachel wraps a hand around her thick shaft and begins to stroke slowly.

"God," Quinn whimpers, jerking her hips slightly.

Rachel smirks and lies down on her back once again, pulling Quinn on top of her.

The blonde takes hold of her cock and drags the head up and down Rachel's covered slit.

She stares into the woman's eyes as she does so and leans down to kiss her again. "I missed you," she whispers against her lips.

Rachel smiles softly and gently cups the back of her neck. "I missed you too."

Not able to stand the throbbing between her legs anymore, she uses her free hand to reach down and push her underwear to the side, allowing Quinn enough room to push in.

As the girl slips herself in all the way, they both gasp in unison, clutching each other tighter.

"Fuck, you're so wet..." Quinn husks out.

"I've been waiting for this all night," Rachel smiles.

Their hips begin to move at their own accord, and Quinn can't stop herself from thrashing into Rachel at a fast pace.

"Baby! That's it!" the woman cries out, throwing her head back. "Ahh!"

Quinn sits back up again and grabs ahold of Rachel's hips as she continues fucking her senseless. She knows that with how much she's had to drink, she won't last much longer inside of her tight channel.

Without warning, she suddenly pulls out.

Rachel frowns, "What -"

"Take these off," Quinn says as she reaches into the waistband of her underwear. The brunette nods and lifts her hips to help them come off faster.

"You're so beautiful," the younger girl murmurs as she moves herself down Rachel's body, coming face to face with her sex.

She surges forward and attacks the swollen clit with her lips.

"Fuck," Rachel moans out and threads her fingers through blonde hair and lightly tugs. "Quinn..."

Quinn moves lower and parts pink lips with her tongue and swipes up and down slowly a few times before moving into her entrance.

Rachel was also close after being on edge all night. "Baby, touch me."

The blonde does as she's told and brings her hand up to firmly rub her clit with her thumb. She's determined to get Rachel off as many times as she can tonight.

"Ohh!"

Rachel reaches her peak clenches around Quinn's tongue and gushes into her mouth. Quinn gladly takes it and laps up all of it.

When the woman is able to breathe somewhat normally again, she pulls the blonde back up and meets her for a searing kiss.

She pulls back and cups the sides of Quinn's face. "I love you," she whispers.

Quinn stares down into her eyes and whispers back, "I love you too."

"I don't care what anyone says or whatever happens," Rachel continues. "I need you to know that I love you more than anything."

"I know, Rachel." Quinn nips at her lips. "I know."

They resume their kissing and soon, the blonde feels her member aching to be touched again.

"Rach..."

As if reading her mind, Rachel turns Quinn over onto her back and moves to straddle her hips. She braces one hand on Quinn's shoulder to keep her balance, and uses the other to guide her tip back to her entrance.

In one swift motion, Quinn thrusts her hips up and they are one again.

"God," Rachel moans out as she work herself up and down the shaft. "I'll never get over how big you are."

Quinn smirks and thrusts up even harder, causing the woman to fall forward. Rachel laughs for a moment before moving her head to rest on Quinn's shoulder.

"Mmm. That's so good..."

The blonde wraps her arms around her waist and holds her steady as she rapidly plunges in and out of her.

"Shit," she murmurs on the verge of her climax.

"Ahh!" Rachel cries. She jerks on blonde hair, unable to control herself. "Quinn! Keep fucking me like that..."

Quinn continues her frenzied thrusting. She can feel her balls tightening and knows she's going to release any second now.

When Rachel's inner walls put her dick in a chokehold, the hot, white liquid begins to shoot out, filling the woman up.

"Oh god, baby..." Quinn groans as she rides out her orgasm.

"Fuck," Rachel rasps out as she slows down her hips.

When they're finished, they lay there for a couple minutes, panting into each other's ears.

Rachel then props herself onto her elbows and presses her lips to Quinn's forehead. "That was amazing," she says.

"You're amazing," Quinn retorts as she runs her hands up and down the woman's back.

Rachel smiles to herself because Quinn can still make her feel this way.

She then smirks, "Was that what you were going to show me?"

Quinn pauses for a moment, then remembers what she had said earlier. She lifts a challenging eyebrow, "What if I said no?"

"Then I would ask what you were waiting for."

The blonde gently rolls them back over and props herself up onto her knees.

"Turn around," she says in a tone that Rachel's never heard before.

The woman swallows and carefully turns over onto all fours.

"Like this?" she asks over her shoulder.

"Perfect."

She holds her breath when she feels lips pressing all over her ass cheeks, and yelps when Quinn dares to lightly bite one.

"Quinn!"

"Sorry. Couldn't help myself," Quinn laughs as she makes her way up her back and leaves a trail of kisses up her spine.

She leaves on last kiss on Rachel's shoulder and reaches a hand down to tease her entrance with the tip of her cock.

She breathes into her ear, "Is this okay?"

Rachel turns her head to nuzzle their cheeks together. "You can do anything you want to me."

Quinn lets out a puff of air then pushes every inch of herself into Rachel. They both moan in unison at the new angle.

"Yes," the woman hisses as she grips the bed sheets beneath her as Quinn slowly pumps in and out.

The blonde moves to her previous position on her knees and increases her pace. "Jesus, you feel so good," Quinn grits out. "I don't know if I could ever go on again without being inside you."

Rachel feels her heart leaping in her chest at the statement. Which was strange, considering she was being fucked from behind...

Then again, nothing with Quinn was ever normal.

She lets out a strangled cry and and drops her head onto the mattress while Quinn continues to pound into her mercilessly.

The blonde reaches down to palm Rachel's breasts. "Are you close?" she asks.

"Y-yes!"

Quinn leans down and drapes her body over Rachel's. "So am I," she breathes into dark hair.

"Quinn!"

With a few more thrusts, she's spilling herself inside of the beautiful woman beneath her. She makes sure to go as deep inside of Rachel as she can while she's doing so.

"Oh god! Yes, yes..." Rachel chants as her body convulses in pleasure.

The room fills with their cries and the sounds of their skin slapping together.

When she's done, Quinn's arms cave in and they both slump down. She lifts her head up to place another kiss on Rachel's shoulder. "Rachel?"

"Yeah?" the woman pants out.

"I love you."

Rachel starts shifting beneath her, so Quinn promptly rolls off of her and lies on her side.

"I love you too," Rachel says as she scoots over to face her. She reaches up to trace her fingertips over the outline of her jaw.

"And I want us to be together," Quinn says resolutely.

Rachel smiles. "Are you sure that's not just the alcohol talking?"

"No," she shakes her head. "I've been thinking about this lately. A lot. And this is what I want."

"Let's talk about this tomorrow, okay?" Rachel pecks her lips.

Quinn nods, "Okay." That was probably the best idea.

The woman trails a finger down her chest and abdomen until she reaches her destination. She wraps her fist around her length and runs her thumb over the head in circles. She looks back up at Quinn, "Was that all you had to show me?"

Hazel eyes darken. "Not even close."

Rachel laughs as she's pushed over and pinned to the bed once again. "Quinn!"

* * *

When she feels something scratching her scalp, Quinn opens her eyes. She realizes that her head is laying on a bare stomach. Rachel's stomach to be exact. She twists her head to look up at the woman gazing down lovingly at her.

"Hi," she croaks out.

"Hi," Rachel smiles.

Quinn sits up and stretches for a second, feeling a bit stiff. "Wow..."

The brunette chuckles because _wow_ is right.

"What time is it?" Quinn asks as she rubs her face.

"It's almost noon."

She nods and lies back down next to Rachel. She's not surprised that they slept in since their intense love-making went on until dawn.

"How are you feeling?" Rachel asks.

"I feel great," she smiles before pecking Rachel's lips. "What about you?"

"I'm a little bit sore down there. But in a good way," she reassures.

Quinn smiles sheepishly and clears her throat. "That was probably the best New Years ever."

"It was," the woman agrees as she snuggles into Quinn's chest. "I love this."

"I love _you_ ," Quinn whispers as she presses a kiss to the top of her head.

At the girl's words, Rachel looks up to lock eyes with her. "So...what now?"

"I meant what I said last night."

Rachel bites her lip. "You still want to be with me?"

"Of course I do," Quinn tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. "I want to do this right. I want us to be honest and trusting of each other with no judgements. And I promise I won't let anyone come between us ever again." Rachel flinches because she knows the blonde is referring to Marley. "It's just you and me from now on."

"Quinn, before we move forward, I am so sorry for the way I acted. I was completely out of line. And you were right. I guess I do have some growing up to -"

She's silenced with a sweet, tender kiss. "It wasn't just you, Rach. I should've listened to you from the start. And for that I'm sorry. But believe me when I say you will always come first."

Rachel smiles, trying not to cry. "Well, if you're willing to take me back, I would love to be your girlfriend again."

"I would love that too. And you're more than that to me. You're my best friend. You're my soulmate. And I hope that one day you'll..." she pauses for a moment. "Decide to spend the rest of your life with me."

"Quinn," Rachel brushes the hair out of her face. "I already did."

She pulls the girl in for another kiss and tugs her over to settle between her legs. When the kiss becomes more heated and hands start to roam, she feels a familiar ache returning.

She reaches down to take hold of the blonde's stiff member. "Baby," she whimpers.

"Are you sure?" Quinn frowns. "You said you were sore from last night."

"I'm sure." Rachel nips at her lips. "Just be gentle this time."

Quinn nods and takes a deep breath, guiding her cock back to Rachel's entrance. She then rests their foreheads together. "I love you."

Rachel braces herself and wraps her arms around the blonde's back. "I love you too."

With those words, Quinn pushes herself inside.


	25. Chapter 25

Rachel taps her nails impatiently against the counter top while Kurt counts her register in the back of the store. He finds it annoying and ignores it at first, but it's only when she starts huffing that he decides to mess with her.

He smirks. "You're short $27.50."

She sighs, "Okay just fill out the write up and I'll sign it tomorrow."

His eyebrows shoot up. "Really? You're not going to argue? Demand that I do a recount? Scream and do one of those diva storm outs?"

Rachel simply shrugs and waits for him to tell her she can go.

"You're not short by the way. I just thought it'd be funny to mess with you."

"Hilarious," she deadpans. "Can I go now?"

"What's your hurry anyway?"

"I have plans." When Kurt looks at her expectantly, she knows that she's not getting out that easily. "It's Quinn's birthday."

"Already?" he frowns.

She nods, "February first."

"Oh god, I forgot it's already February. I need to do the end of the month inventory. This month went by fast!"

"Yes, it did," Rachel agrees with a smile.

"Looks like I'm staying late," he mumbles. "What plans did you make with Quinn?"

"I'm taking her out to the restaurant where we had our first real date."

"Was it Breadstix?" Kurt asks quickly.

"No," she laughs.

"Thank god," he says.

"I'd like to think I'm a bit classier than that."

"Oh please. No matter where you take that girl, she would still love it."

Rachel smiles, "Yeah."

He seals the register bag shut and hands her the receipt to sign. "Speaking of gay significant others, Blaine and I finally set a date!"

"What!" she shouts in excitement and pulls him into a hug. "Congratulations! When's the big day?"

"June tenth," he squeals.

"Kurt! That's only four months away!"

"I know! You're going to help me with the planning, right?"

"Of course! This is so exciting! Is it going to be here? Or wait, isn't Blaine from Cincinnati? Will it be there?"

"Oh, god no," he scoffs. "Blaine's parents have a summer house on Long Island. And they've been telling us ever since we got engaged that we should have our wedding there."

"A summer house on Long Island?" she furrows her brow. "How loaded are they?"

"Very. But you'll make the trip, right? I'll even give you the week off. And you can bring Quinn! I remember you said that she's never been to New York."

"I'll ask her. But I'm sure she'll say yes." And speaking of Quinn. "I really need to get going or we'll miss our reservation. But I'll call you tomorrow and we'll get together for planning soon," she says as she grabs her purse.

"Sorry, didn't mean to keep you waiting. Have fun getting laid tonight!"

"Bye Kurt!"

* * *

After Rachel races home to get ready, they barely make it in time for their reservation. Their table was actually about it be given away, until Rachel subtly threatened the hostess with a menacing tone. She thanks her acting skills for that.

She sighs in relief when they're seated at the table. After a long day, she was glad to finally be here with Quinn.

After their waitress takes their orders, Quinn turns to her and says, "You really didn't have to do this. But thank you."

"What kind of girlfriend would I be if I didn't take you out for your birthday?" She takes the blonde's hand into her own. "And it should be a good night since I don't see Waiter John anywhere," she says as she glances around the restaurant. "Hopefully our new waitress can behave herself."

Quinn chuckles and shakes her head, "Rachel, that woman is in her thirties. At least."

"That didn't stop me, now did it?" she says with a cheesy wink making Quinn blush.

"You look gorgeous by the way," she adds. "How was your day? Did your classes go fine?"

"Yeah," Quinn nods. "And there's actually something that I wanted to talk to you about."

"Oh, me too!"

"Then you first."

"Wait," Rachel pauses. "I wanna know what you were going to say."

"I said you first."

"Quinn!"

"My birthday, my rules," she smirks at the pouting woman.

"Fine. Blaine and Kurt finally set the wedding date for mid-June."

"Wow!" Quinn smiles. "It's about time."

Rachel nods, "I agree. But the thing is they don't want to do it here in Ohio. So it's going to be this weekend event on Long Island."

"That's great! So you're going to spend a few days in New York?"

" _We're_ going to spend a few days in New York. If you'll be my date, that is."

Quinn frowns, "Am I invited?"

"Of course you're invited!" Rachel nudges her. "And it'll be fun. Maybe we can even spend a night in the city."

"I'd like that," Quinn smiles.

Rachel grins, "So yes? You'll go with me?"

"I'd love to."

The woman beams. "You're going to love it there, Quinn. Trust me."

She leans over the table and presses her lips against the blonde's, but then pulls back as it gets a little too heated.

She clears her throat, "So, what did you have to tell me?"

Quinn takes a deep breath and chews on her bottom lip. "Sorry. I just don't know how you're going to react."

"In a good or bad way?"

"I guess we'll see."

"Quinn," she gently runs her hand up and down the girl's wrist. "You can tell me anything."

"It's funny that you mention New York," Quinn laughs nervously, causing even more confusion for Rachel.

"What does New York have to do with anything?"

"Well you remember me telling you about Professor Martin? I took his class last semester. But anyway, he pulled me aside after class today to talk to me about the English program at NYU."

Rachel nods, "They have one of the best programs in the country."

"Right. But I was telling him that tuition was too expensive there, even with the fact that they don't charge out of state. I mean, I'm sure my parents would pay for it, but it's a lot more than going to school here in Lima, you know? And I don't want to do that to them."

"Okay?"

"But...he started telling me about a scholarship that they offer for the program every year. It's a full ride for the people that actually get it."

Rachel's eyes widen, suddenly realizing where this is going.

"And he thinks that I should apply for it. He said that my portfolio was already pretty impressive even though it's only been a couple semesters. And he even offered to write a letter of recommendation for me."

"Quinn! That's great! Are you going to apply?"

"Well," she shrugs. "I don't know. I wanted to talk to you about it first, which is what we're doing."

"Of course I think you should apply. Why wouldn't I be okay with it?"

"In the off chance that I _maybe_ get it, that means I would have to live in New York. And I didn't know if you would want to go with me."

Before Rachel has the chance to respond, the waitress shows up with their food. She quickly thanks her and shoos her away, making Quinn chuckle.

"Do you not want me to go with you?" Rachel asks as soon as they're alone again.

"No!" Quinn says. "It's not that! It's just...I know that you came back to Lima so that you could get away from New York. And I didn't know how you would feel about living there again."

"I came back to Lima so I wouldn't have to be alone after getting a divorce," Rachel answers. "And trust me, I'm long over that."

"Like I said, I didn't know how you would react."

"Quinn," she smiles. "You could move to Antarctica for all I care. I would follow you anywhere."

"Really?" Quinn beams. "So you're actually okay with this? I mean...it's just an idea. Nothing to make a big deal out of or anything."

Rachel nods and leans in for another kiss. "As long as you're happy, I'm happy."

The blonde sighs and cups her cheek. "I love you so much right now."

"I love you too, baby." She leans back in her seat and grabs her fork. "Now come on. The sooner you're done eating your food, the sooner you can eat me."

"Rachel!"

* * *

Later that evening, after Quinn did what she was told...among other things, she curls up into Rachel's side as they lay in the warmth of the woman's bed.

"Best birthday ever," she says, out of breath.

Rachel chuckles and kisses her forehead. "I'm glad that we _both_ enjoyed it." She lightly scratches Quinn's head as the girl traces fingertips along her bare stomach.

After a few minutes of a comforting silence, Quinn suddenly speaks, "Can I ask you something?"

"Mhmm."

"You're still on birth control, right?"

Rachel opens her eyes and smirks, "You know you're supposed to ask a girl that _before_ you have sex with her." When all Quinn does is let out an awkward laugh, she decides to

put the girl's mind at ease. "And yes, I am. Why are you asking?"

Quinn shrugs, "Just making sure that no unexpected surprises are going to pop up soon." She continues tracing light patterns on Rachel's skin.

"Would that really be the worst thing?"

The girl's hand freezes. "What?"

Rachel turns onto her side and moves to where they're face to face. "Quinn, I love you. And maybe not right now, but one day I want to have your baby. Do you not want that?"

It would honestly kill her if Quinn were to say no. But Rachel swore to herself that even if the girl wanted different things, they would work to compromise together.

"I really do want that, actually."

And just like that, a huge weight of anxiety is lifted off her shoulders.

She blinks to fight the tears of joy from falling. "You do?"

"Yeah," Quinn whispers with a smile as she runs the pad of her thumb along Rachel's chin. "That would make me the happiest person in the world."

"I seriously doubt that because _I'll_ be the happiest person in the world," Rachel says as they both laugh together.

"And if I could, I would do it right now. But I need to get myself situated first. Because like you said, it's not the best time."

"Hardly," Rachel sits up in excitement. "We can't do it now, because our baby has to be born in the spring. So that way we can have something to look forward to between your birthdays and the summers."

Quinn laughs and lays her head in Rachel's lap as the woman goes on and on.

"They're going to be so beautiful. I hope they have your eyes. Hopefully not my nose. It's a Jewish gene. Did you know that my birth mother was Jewish? And if we're going to have one boy and one girl, I'd rather have a boy first. And –. Oh god...I sound crazy, don't I?"

She turns her head to look up at her with a smile. "Just a little bit."

"Sorry, I've just thought about it a lot."

"I can tell. And it's okay, my love."

The woman lies back down on her back and relaxes.

"I love you, Rachel," Quinn says with a yawn.

"I love you too."

When Quinn starts to drift off, Rachel smiles to herself. She wasn't expecting the night to be so heavy, but she's glad she was able to talk to Quinn about their future together. Now, it doesn't seem like some maybe fantasy. It was actually happening.

* * *

Rachel pulls her car up to the front of Quinn's house and parks. The woman has to work that night, so she had offered to drop Quinn off at home on her way to work.

The blonde unbuckles her seatbelt. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

Rachel nods, "Come over while you can. Kurt is supposed to start coming by on Wednesday so we can start planning the wedding."

Quinn shudders. She knows anything involving Rachel and Kurt and planning is going to be a mad house. But it would still be interesting to witness.

"Would it be okay if I helped you guys out?"

"Really?" Rachel smiles.

She shrugs, "Yeah. I mean, I don't know the first thing about wedding planning. But I still want to help."

"I'm sure Kurt won't mind."

"Cool," Quinn says. "I'll see you later then."

They lean in for a goodbye kiss. Which as always, gets them a little carried away. Rachel pulls her in tighter by the waist and proceeds to deepen the kiss.

They both shriek and jump apart when someone taps on the blonde's window. They then quickly turn to see who it is.

"Oh shit," Quinn mumbles as she stares up through the glass at the person looking down at her expectantly.

She turns to Rachel to see what she should do. But the woman looks just as scared as she is right now.

So with a shaky hand, she presses on the button to bring the window down. "Dad? What are you doing here? I thought you were at work?"

"Quinn," Russell says smoothly. "Please see me in my office in five minutes."

His expression is unreadable and it terrifies her to a point where she couldn't even say anything to answer him.

He looks to the woman in the driver's seat and nods his head at her. "Rachel."

Without another word, he walks to the front door of the house and goes inside.

As soon as the door closes, Quinn releases a breath. "Fuck," she mutters before turning to Rachel. "It's okay."

"Quinn," she starts hyperventilating. "What –" she stops and takes a deep breath. "What is he going to do? He saw us, right?"

The blonde nods, "Yeah, he did."

"What do we do?"

She sighs, "Well, I should probably go see him like he asked."

"I should go with you."

Quinn shakes her head. "He only asked to see me." She leans back in her seat and squeezes her eyes shut. She wasn't ready to do this.

"Quinn?"

"Okay, listen. Just go to work. I'll talk to him tonight and then I'll come over later."

"I don't want you to go by yourself. What if something happens?"

"Rachel, I know my dad. He would never hurt me. Please just trust me."

The woman doesn't let up. She doesn't honestly believe that Russell would hurt Quinn either. But she doesn't want to take any chances.

"Hey," Quinn tries more softly. "This has to be done. We both knew this. If we ever want to have a life together, I have to go in there and at least try to talk to him. I'm going to do whatever it takes to be with you. So will you please trust me on this?"

Tears start forming in Rachel's eyes. Her biggest fear is losing Quinn again. She knows that if there's one person in the world that could convince Quinn that they shouldn't be together, it would be Russell.

She doesn't know who she's kidding if she ever thought they could go through with this without his support.

"You'll come by later?"

"I promise I will." Quinn squeezes her hand. "No matter what happens."

"Okay..."

The blonde opens her door, but pauses to lean over and press a kiss to Rachel's cheek. "It's okay. I love you."

"I know," Rachel smiles.

Quinn closes the door and watches as the car hesitantly pulls away. She then looks at her house and goes inside.

When she's outside of her father's study, she takes a deep breath to calm herself, then cautiously knocks on the door.

"Come in."

She enters to see her father sitting at his desk with his hands clasped in front of him. He's looking away to the side with a look of contemplation and internal struggle on his face.

Quinn takes a seat in the chair in front of his desk and waits.

She doesn't know what to say, so she waits for him. And after what seems like an eternity, he finally looks at her and speaks.

"I trust that you won't lie to me," he says lowly. "So I'm going to ask you something. Did I really see what I think I saw going on in the car between you and Rachel?"

She purses her lips and looks at the floor. "Yes."

He nods and puts his face in his hands, breathing deeply. Quinn waits for the shouting or objects to fly across the room or just something. But nothing happens.

After a couple minutes, she frowns and asks, "Dad?"

He looks back up at her and she can see how red his eyes are. "Have you eaten yet?"

She's caught off guard by the question. "What? No?"

He nods. "Well your mother is working tonight. So how about we go out and get something to eat?"

She furrows her brow, "Sure?"

"Okay then," he stands and puts his jacket back on. "Let's go."

* * *

The drive was completely silent, except for the radio playing. Quinn still doesn't know what her father was doing exactly. But she decided that it was best to just go along with it.

They ended up going to a diner that they used to frequent when she was a kid. She remembers how much she used to love this place because of their epic bacon burgers.

It's not until they get their milkshakes that Russell finally talks again.

"How are your classes going?"

"Good," she nods from her side of the booth. "Not as bad as last semester."

"Have you applied for that scholarship yet?" he asks, genuinely curious.

She had told her parents about that a few nights prior. Russell seemed more excited about the idea than Judy did.

She shrugs, "I'm still working on it."

"Quinn, you know you need to get it done early if you want to register in time for the fall."

"I know," she says. "I'm gonna do it."

He nods, satisfied. "How's Santana doing in California?"

"Good I guess."

"And Brittany?"

"Um, good?"

"And what about Puckerman?"

"I don't know. Why are you asking all of this?"

"Because I feel like I don't know anything about you right now."

And there it is. The giant elephant in the room finally gets some recognition.

"Dad, you do know me. I'm still the same person."

"How long has this been going on with Rachel?" he cuts right to the chase.

She purses her lips. She can't lie to him anymore.

"About eight months."

His eyes widen and he leans forward. "Eight months? You've been keeping this from us for eight months, Quinn?"

She swallows. "I'm sorry for lying to you."

"And what about that Marley girl? I thought she was your girlfriend?"

"She was never my girlfriend. That was all made up so mom wouldn't catch on."

"Jesus Christ..." he mumbles. "Is there anything else I should know about?"

"No," she quickly shakes her head. "That's the extent of it."

He doesn't need to know about the drama of their relationship. Just that they were happy now and were looking to keep things that way.

"And what exactly is going on with you and Rachel? I get that she was probably lonely after her divorce. But to use you like that is –"

"It's not like that," Quinn nearly shouts. "This isn't some fling, dad. We're committed to each other."

"You're too young to know anything about commitment."

"You were my age when you married mom!" she snaps back at him.

Russell doesn't answer because he knows that it was hypocritical of him to throw that at her.

He sighs, "Quinn, listen to me. I've never been close to Rachel. Obviously…you weren't either, otherwise you wouldn't have had these feelings for each other. And as far as I'm concerned, she's never really been a part of our family. But your mother...she considers that woman to be her sister, Quinn. Her _sister_."

"I know that and Rachel knows that too. We're not stupid. We were going to tell her."

"And do you really think she'll be all fine and dandy with this?"

"Of course not."

"Then what the hell are you thinking? You can't keep this thing going, Quinn. You can't do that to your mom."

"And what are you going to do? Make me break up with her?"

"I can't make you do anything. You're an adult and these are your own choices to make."

Their burgers suddenly arrive, putting a much needed pause in their conversation.

Quinn feels bad about her father's last remark. He was trying to make an actual effort to talk this through with her, and she was just acting like a rebellious teenager.

She needs to meet him halfway.

"Dad," she says. "I know it's crazy for me to have these feelings for Rachel. Trust me, I thought it was crazy too. I tried to make them go away, but they didn't."

Russell doesn't say anything and gives a nod of his head for her to continue.

She licks her dry lips. "I pursued her. I was the one that had to convince her to give this a chance. And she did. And you know what? I'm so happy that she did. Because now I have this amazing woman that I'm in love with."

Her father's head snaps back up to look her in the eyes after her last statement.

"And she loves me too."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," Quinn smiles. "I'm sure. And I know...I could have picked anyone else besides Rachel. But I never meant for any of this to happen. It just did. And I honestly feel in my heart that she's the person I want to spend the rest of my life with. And she feels the same."

"And you're asking me to support this relationship?"

"I'm asking you to at least try. We knew right away that this was never going to be easy or conventional. But maybe with some time, you'll be okay with it."

He sighs and stares down at his food. "Okay Quinn."

She frowns, "Okay?"

"I'll give this...thing a chance. I just hope that it's worth it."

"I know, dad. Thank you."

He nods and starts eating his food.

Another thought crosses Quinn's mind and she says, "Please don't tell mom about this. I'm going to tell her. I just need to find the right time."

"You can't keep this from her forever. Not if you're serious about Rachel."

Quinn nods because it was the harsh truth. "I just want her to hear it from me."

"When you do tell her, it's not going to be this easy. Like I said, she sees Rachel as her sister. She's going to hate it."

She chokes back a sob. Deep down, she knows that there's no way her mother would ever be okay with this.

"But I'll still be there for you."

She gasps and stares at him, his words giving her hope.

"Thank you."

"I love you, kiddo."

"I love you too."

Russell decides to lighten the mood a bit. "While we're out, do you wanna go catch a movie?"

She smiles, "That sounds great."

* * *

Rachel chews on her thumbnail as she paces back and forth around her living room. She checks the clock again for the millionth time.

Quinn said she would come by later. She didn't say exactly when, and Rachel has been anxiously waiting ever since she got home from work. She wants to call her, but she doesn't know what's even going on over there and could unknowingly make things even worse by calling.

She freezes when she hears the front door opening.

"Rachel?"

She smiles and jogs to the front to throw herself into the surprised blonde's arms.

"It's okay," Quinn soothes.

Rachel pulls back to look at her. "What happened? Does –" she stops, almost too afraid to ask the question. "Does Judy know?"

"No," Quinn shakes her head. "He promised that he wouldn't tell her. He's not exactly thrilled about this. But I talked to him and he's giving it a chance for me."

"Thank god," she sighs. "So everything's okay?"

Quinn smiles and presses a kiss to her forehead. "Everything is fine."

The brunette looks up with loving eyes. "Will you stay with me tonight?"

"Of course."

* * *

Judy rubs her eyes as she reads off her clipboard while makes her way down the hallway to her next patient. It was already daylight outside, which meant that she would be going home soon.

She suddenly bumps into someone from behind and looks up to apologize.

"I am so – Marley?"

The girl turns around with wide eyes. "Mrs. Fabray!"

"Sweetie please, it's Judy. What are you doing here? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," the girl says, slightly embarrassed that she was just kind of standing around. "I just came in for a check-up and got a little lost trying to find my way out," she explains.

"Oh, well no worries. It gets quite confusing in here. I'll show you out."

She leads the young girl to the hospital entrance. And as they walk, she decides to make some small talk. She really liked the girl as her daughter's girlfriend after all. "How is school going for you?"

"It's going good."

"Are you still working as well?"

"Yes, at the bookstore."

When they reach their destination, Judy turns to Marley. She figures it can't hurt to ask. "Have you talked to Quinn at all?"

"No," Marley shakes her head. "Not lately."

Judy nods. "You know, it's such a shame that you two broke up. And Quinn is very private about these things, but do you think there's a chance that you might get back together?"

Marley frowns and clenches her jaw. "I don't think so. Last I heard, she was dating an older woman."

"What?" Judy gasps.

"I'm sorry." Marley's eyes widen when she realizes what she did. "I shouldn't have said that. It's none of my business."

"No, it's okay. Quinn never told me that she's been seeing an older woman. Do you know who it is by any chance?"

"I really don't." Marley starts to walk away. "I'm sorry, Judy. But I really have to go. I'll see you later?"

Judy frowns and waves. "Okay? Bye."

Marley quickly runs out of the hospital and to her car. She doesn't know what possessed her to say it. Of course she was still angry, bitter, and hurt at everything that happened with Quinn. But she had absolutely no right.

She never wanted to hurt the girl or try to ruin her life in any way. This was something that Judy should have only heard coming from Quinn.

She cringes at herself. She had _no_ right.


	26. Chapter 26

For the first time in months, Quinn Fabray was walking down the halls of McKinley. She feels a sense of nostalgia as she makes her way around the school. As she expected, she didn't really think about this place much since graduating. And when she did, it was just to reminisce about her days as a cheerleader. But still, it was bittersweet to be back.

She finds the old choir room that Mr. Ryerson used to inhabit before he was fired. Unsurprisingly, she could hear music coming from the open doorway as she got closer. She could also hear a loud booming voice...

"Okay guys! Let's do this again from the top! Joe, for the love of god, put on some shoes! And Sugar, please follow the choreography. This isn't freestyle! That isn't even dancing!"

Quinn chuckles to herself as Rachel directs all of the glee club kids to their places while Blaine just sort of nods behind her.

"Alright, like Rachel said, from the top!" he calls out.

When the music starts up again, Quinn uses the opportunity to discreetly slip into the room and watch front the corner. All of the kids were oblivious to her presence, and she was able to see that they were actually really talented. Of course, they only had the most talented coaches.

She locks eyes with Rachel, causing the woman to beam and lose focus for a minute. Quinn laughs and waves with a shrug.

When the number comes to an end, Rachel clears her throat. "Okay, that was much better. Good job everyone!"

"Right," Blaine smiles. "Why don't we all call it a day? You guys have been working so hard that you deserve a break."

"But be sure to practice your scales and breathing exercises this week like we talked about!" Rachel adds, causing everyone to groan.

Blaine laughs, "Okay guys, have a good night."

As all of the kids start packing their bags to leave, murmurs and gasps of Quinn Fabray being there started to fill the room. The smug side of her is a little proud of the fact that she left a lasting impression at on place.

She smiles and says hi to a few faces that she recognizes as they file out the door. When they're all finally gone, she turns to see Blaine and Rachel packing all of the sheet music.

"I'm guessing you were pretty popular when you went here, huh?" Blaine asks.

She simply shrugs.

"She was only the head cheerleader and the prettiest girl in school," Rachel answers.

"I was co-captain with Santana," Quinn reminds her.

"But still, that's pretty cool," Blaine says. "Alright, let me go put this stuff away in the office and we can head out."

When he makes his way to the other room, Rachel moves closer to the blonde. "Not that I'm not happy you came by, I'm surprised that they let you in."

"I'm still on good terms with Sue Sylvester."

"Oh that's right. She calls you her mini-me."

"Shut up."

They both laugh and Rachel wants to lean in for a kiss, but the door was open and she didn't want to risk getting in trouble. So instead, she says, "Happy Valentine's Day."

Quinn smiles, "You're my valentine, right?"

"Am I?"

"You better be."

Rachel chuckles before asking, "Did you want to do anything tonight?"

She had been so busy that she honestly had forgotten about Valentine's Day until Kurt reminded her the night before. And Quinn was just as busy with school. So by then, it was too late to make any extravagant plans.

"It doesn't really matter to me. As long as I get to spend time with you."

But of course, plans with Quinn didn't need to be extravagant in order to be special.

Before she can reply, Blaine emerges and asks, "Did you guys have any plans tonight?"

"We were just talking about that actually," Quinn smiles. "No big plans yet."

"Well if you want, you should join me and Kurt at Breadstix. We go there every year since it's where we had our first date."

Quinn turns to Rachel and decides that she'll leave it up to the woman.

Rachel's first choice was to have mind-blowing sex from dusk until the sun came back up. But dinner sounded nice too.

"Yeah, that sounds fine. If it's okay with Quinn."

The blonde nods and asks, "What time were you planning on going?"

"Six thirty," he answers. "And actually, I need to go home and pick up Kurt. So I'll see you two there!" he says as he dashes out the door.

Quinn then exits the room with Rachel right behind her. The hallways were deserted, so Rachel takes the opportunity to walk closer to Quinn.

"Are you sure you're okay with going?" she asks as she bumps her shoulder.

"Yeah of course. I like Blaine and Kurt."

Rachel nods as they continue to make their way out of the school.

"Six thirty is kind of early though."

"Well that's just how they are. They don't like staying out late," Rachel says.

"Well since we only have like an hour to get ready," Quinn leans over to whisper. "I won't have time to fuck you senseless. So I guess I'll save that for later."

"Oh my god, Quinn!"

* * *

Judy reads carefully into the papers laid out before her on the dining room table. She's been doing so for the past twenty minutes, even more confused than she was before.

"Judy?" Russell frowns as he comes in to sit down next to her. "What are you doing? Why are you looking at the phone bill?"

They never take the time to read through their monthly phone bill. It's usually tossed in the garbage and paid online. But he feels he already knows what she's up to.

She shakes her head before looking up. "I just can't get over what Marley said. I really feel like Quinn is hiding something. I think she really has been seeing someone and not telling anyone about it."

Russell sighs. Ever since a few days before when Judy told him what happened with Marley at the hospital, she hadn't been able to let it go and was constantly bringing it up.

"Look, like I already told you, that girl is probably just mad about their break up and is making nonsense up to get even."

He really hates lying like this to his wife. But he would do anything for his daughter.

Judy chews on her thumbnail as she thinks to herself. "I don't think so. I know Quinn, and I know, I just _know_ that something is going on with her."

He doesn't say anything else and looks down at the papers scattered across the table. He feels his heart start to sink in dread.

"And I just don't get it," she says as she picks up one of the papers. "The only people she's been texting and calling is you and me. And some number from California, but that's probably Santana. And Noah and Rachel. There's hardly anyone else on here."

She puts the paper down and rubs her temples.

"Well there you have it," Russell says. "That Marley girl is just full of it."

Judy shakes her head. "She said that Quinn was seeing an older woman. Then she freaked out after she said it, like she just revealed a big secret or something. I don't think she was making it up."

"I don't know, Judy."

"What if..." her eyes widen. "What if Quinn's seeing one of her professors?" She gasps. "What if she's been seeing a married woman? And she's been using a disposable phone so that no one finds out?"

"Okay, now you're acting crazy."

"Am I? This is our daughter, Russell! What if she gets herself into trouble?"

"Hey, Quinn is smarter than that," he tries to reason with her. "If she thinks that there's something we need to know about, she will tell us. She's an adult and we have to trust her."

Judy sighs at her husband before letting out a sigh in defeat. "I just can't shake this feeling."

* * *

It was lucky that they decided to meet early at Breadstix. The place began to quickly fill up soon after they were seated. It was like half the damn town was there on a date.

Their orders were taking a while to come out, but there was definitely no shortage of breadsticks and wine. If Rachel's hand inching up Quinn's thigh was anything to go by...

"And then she told me to shove our refund policy up my ass!" Kurt finishes his story, making everyone burst out in laughter.

"Why do you put up with those things?" Quinn asks between laughs.

"He loves the drama," Blaine smiles.

"Yes," Kurt nods. "I really do."

"I'll admit, seeing Kurt get into it with customers is one of my favorite things," Rachel adds.

Kurt nods in agreement before turning his attention to Quinn. "So, Rachel says you're looking into NYU?"

"I applied for a scholarship," the blonde nods. "So I guess we'll see what happens."

"You applied?" Rachel asks as Quinn hadn't brought it up.

"Mhmm," Quinn smiles.

"I'm sure you have a good chance of getting it," Kurt says.

"Thank you."

She feels Rachel squeeze her leg and shudders. Luckily, the two men across from them begin to engage in conversation with one another.

She leans over and whispers, "Are you okay?"

"Yes," Rachel purrs. "I just really want you alone right now."

"I know." She kisses the woman's temple. "Hopefully we'll get our food sometime tonight," she says as she looks around for the waiter.

Rachel huffs in agreement. It was Valentine's Day and she was aching for some intimate time with her love.

"Oh hey, you guys have matching necklaces," Blaine observes, interrupting Rachel's thoughts. "Kurt and I were thinking about getting some too."

"I think the matching wedding rings will hold us over for a while," Kurt says as he leans into his fiancé's side.

"That's a good point," Rachel agrees with her friend.

And she can't help it when she quickly glances at the empty ring finger on Quinn's left hand.

* * *

After they get back from dinner, Rachel decides to draw a bath for them both. Not that it took much to convince the eager blonde to join her. And they needed to break in that bath tub anyway.

After lighting a few candles, she lowers herself into the warm water first.

"We should do this more often," Quinn says as she settles her back against Rachel's front.

"I wouldn't mind," the woman smiles. "Are you comfortable?"

"I'm great." Quinn tilts her head to the side for a quick kiss.

Rachel sighs and wraps her arms around the girl's waist and rests her chin on her shoulder.

After a minute, Quinn asks, "What are you thinking about?"

"Just how happy it makes me that I got to spend Valentine's Day with you."

"Yeah?"

"Mhmm."

"I'm happy too. Well, my other girlfriends were pretty mad when I cancelled on them. But still."

Rachel chuckles, "Were they?"

"It was worth it."

They both share a laugh before falling into another comfortable silence.

"Is everything okay?" Rachel asks as she runs her hands over the blonde's midriff.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm just wondering. You've been a little off today." And she had been. Rachel noticed that ever since they were at the school, Quinn didn't seem as upbeat as usual.

"My dad talked to me before I left," Quinn sighs. "I didn't want to worry you and ruin our night."

"What happened?" And of course she was worrying anyway.

Quinn chews her lip, thinking about how to word this. "He didn't say how, but my mom found out that I'm dating someone. And she's been trying really hard to find out who it is these past couple days."

Rachel feels her stomach tighten and starts to panic. "Do you think she knows you're here right now?"

"No," Quinn shakes her head quickly. "She's at work tonight. I made sure. Don't worry, Rach."

She breathes a little bit easier knowing that they're safe. For now at least.

"We should probably lay low for a while." She doesn't want to suggest it, but she has to make sure that they make it out of the woods.

"Yeah," Quinn nods. "Unless," she pauses, already knowing what Rachel will say.

"Unless what?"

She sighs, "Unless I talk to her."

Rachel knows that's the only ethical thing to do at this point. But she also knows that everything will change once Judy knows about them. How it'll change, she doesn't know. She just wants a little more time in her personal paradise with Quinn.

"Not yet," is all she says.

"Okay," Quinn replies softly.

Rachel's heart aches. She wants more than anything to hopefully get married to this girl and have a family one day. And the best part is that Quinn wants all of that too. But they won't able to do that until they get through the hard part of telling Judy first.

"I'm sorry."

Quinn frowns and turns her head. "For what?"

"I'm sorry for putting you through all of this. For you having to lie to your parents. For having to be with me in secret. It's not fair for you."

"You didn't force me to do any of this. It was always my choice."

"I just feel like it's all my fault."

"None of this is your fault," Quinn says firmly. "Maybe I didn't choose to fall in love with you. But I did. And I'm _choosing_ to be with you. I'll always choose you."

She finds comfort in Quinn's words and reassurance, like she always does. Maybe she needs to stop being so hard on herself.

"I love you," she says finally.

"I love you too."

Rachel decides to change the subject. Quinn was right, they shouldn't let this ruin their night.

"So, you finally applied?"

"Yeah," Quinn smiles. "I barely made the application deadline."

"Quinn!"

"Hey! At least I did it, right?"

"You shouldn't procrastinate. It's a terrible habit," Rachel reprimands. "Do you know when they announce who gets picked?"

"It varies, depending on how many applicants they have. But from what I've heard, I could find out as early as next month."

"That's good. That'll give us plenty of time to plan and sort everything out once you get it."

"You mean if I get it?"

" _When_ you get it."

There was no doubt in Rachel's mind that she would. Quinn was one of the smartest girls she knew.

"Okay baby," Quinn laughs.

She hums and squeezes the blonde tighter against her body. The water was still warm and she wasn't in a rush to get out.

Quinn shifts slightly and runs a hand down one of Rachel's calves.

She smirks, "Rach?"

"Yes?"

"I think I have a problem."

Rachel opens her eyes after relaxing under Quinn's touch. "What's wrong?" she asks with concern.

She takes the woman's hand and moves it under the water. " _This_ is sort of a problem."

"Oh." Rachel licks her lips when her hand comes into contact with the hard member. "It seems like you have quite a _big_ problem." She wraps her fingers around the shaft and slowly strokes it up and down.

"What do you think I should do?"

She brings her other hand up to lightly squeeze the blonde's breasts and harden her nipples into stiff peaks. She kisses along the side of her neck and whispers, "You should let me take care of it for you."

Quinn gasps and grips the side of the tub when the speed of Rachel's hand increases.

The woman knows that they probably won't be able to do this again for a while. So she has to make the most of it.

"Kiss me," she demands.

Quinn sits up and turns around on her knees, leaning down to connect their lips.

"Hmph!" She loses friction and slips, causing a small splash.

"You okay?" Rachel asks with a laugh as Quinn face plants onto her chest.

"Yeah," she winces. "This is a lot harder than I thought it would be."

"It actually does seem a lot easier in porn."

Quinn's mouth drops open at the statement. Partly because she was stunned, and mostly because knowing that Rachel watches porn was, for some reason, incredibly hot to her.

"Don't look at me like that. You know you watch it too. Now come on, let's take this to my room."

She reaches down to drain the water and carefully stands to grab a towel and quickly dry off.

"I didn't know you were into that," Quinn says as she stands as well.

"You learn new things every day," she smirks.

It was Quinn's turn to smirk. "Do you have a sex tape somewhere on the internet?"

Rachel narrows her eyes and tosses the towel at her. "No. Do you?"

"I don't think so," the blonde says as she dries herself off. "Unless Santana filmed me and her without me knowing."

"Okay then," Rachel huffs and storms out of the bathroom. "Have fun taking care of yourself tonight."

Quinn follows after her and grips her waist from behind.

"Rach, you know I'm just messing with you," she laughs.

"I know, Quinn," the woman smiles and turns around. "See? I can take a joke once in a while."

The girl leans in for a kiss. "In all seriousness, I love you. And this has been the best Valentine's Day ever."

"It's not over yet," Rachel husks before taking a step back.

She lays back on the bed and spreads her legs apart, never breaking eye contact with Quinn. She then reaches down between her legs and starts rubbing her clit while the girl stares on intensely.

"I don't think you're the only one with a problem."

The blonde pounces on top of her and nips at her lower lip. "I think maybe we can help each other out."

Her head drops down on the bed as Quinn moves down her body. Just as the girl reaches her destination, an idea crosses Rachel's mind.

"Wait, come here."

Quinn immediately stops and moves back up to her previous position. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." She gently pecks her lips. "I just want to try something." She turns Quinn over onto her back and says, "Stay here."

She turns around and promptly gets on all fours, carefully placing her knees on either side of Quinn's head.

As Quinn watches that amazing pussy hover centimeters over her face, she feels a familiar hand wrap around her cock and thinks that this was actually a _very_ good idea.

"Oh god," she groans and brings her mouth up.

"Shit, Quinn!"

A pair of soft lips and an adventurous tongue latch onto her clit and it makes Rachel lose focus for a moment. She takes a deep breath to get herself together, then leans down and uses her own tongue to tease the head of Quinn's stiff member.

A muffled noise coming from the blonde tells Rachel that she's enjoying it too. She then gasps when the girl slips into her slick entrance.

She then licks a path all the way down to the base, and slowly ghosts her lips back up over the soft skin.

"Baby," she moans. "I love having your cock in my mouth."

With the way Quinn was eating the life out of her pussy, Rachel knows that she won't last very long and takes over half of the shaft into her mouth at once, desperately working it all the way in.

She uses her hand to cradle the balls and gently massage them as she takes the rest of Quinn down her throat.

The girl sucks on her clit harder than before and Rachel can't control herself when she starts to move her hips frantically all over her face.

She comes up to gasp for air and pants out, "Almost there, Quinn. Don't stop."

She sucks furiously at the tip and uses her hand to stroke the rest of the length.

Her orgasm hits her harder than she imagined it would, and she lets out a muffled scream as she climaxes all over Quinn's face.

Not even a moment later, a warm substance fills her mouth and she does all that she can to make sure none of it drips out and laps it all up.

When she's satisfied, she then releases Quinn and cautiously rolls off her body. She's not surprised to see that the blonde is just as out of breath as she is.

"Wow," is all girl can say.

Rachel turns herself around so they can be face to face again. She leans on one elbow to steal a kiss, but stops, her eyes darkening when she sees her wetness all over Quinn's chin and the sides of her face.

"Things got a little messy," Quinn smiles.

Leaning down, Rachel flattens her tongue and drags it slowly over Quinn's bottom lip, tasting herself. She's then able to pry her mouth open and kiss her more intimately.

As they finally pull apart, Quinn sighs, "You're seriously the sexiest person on this earth." When Rachel blushes and looks away, she brings a hand up to tilt her face back to where it was. "I love you."

Rachel smiles softly and takes Quinn's hand, her _left_ hand, and lightly kisses her knuckles. "I love you too." They stare at each other like that for a few moments.

She giggles when Quinn suddenly flips them over to be on top. _Of course_ the girl wasn't done yet.

"Can I fuck you senseless now?" she asks as she strokes her rapidly hardening member.

Rachel trembles at the look in her eyes. "You can do whatever you want to me."

She gasps when Quinn lines herself up and pushes inside without preamble, though it doesn't take long for Rachel's body to adjust to the intrusion.

"Oh fuck baby," she grunts as the girl pants into her ear, fucking her with deep, hard thrusts.

She holds her legs apart as wide as she can for Quinn. She knows that she can't offer her the whole world yet, but she's willing to give every part of herself to her love.

"I love you, Quinn."

She cries out as the girl thrusts even harder.

"Oh god, I love you..."

* * *

It was a good thing they made the most out of that night, because Quinn doesn't stay the night again at all over the next few weeks. It was driving them both crazy of course. But Quinn wanted to make sure that Judy had let go of whatever suspicions she had.

She was spending more time with her mother, subtly trying to convince her that nothing was out of the ordinary. Only she wasn't sure if it was working or not. But it had to be as Judy was finally starting to act normal again.

She hasn't questioned her directly about anything, which was a relief to Quinn. She just hoped that it would blow over soon so that she could spend more time with Rachel again.

She missed the woman so much, that she even agreed to go with Judy to Rachel's store one afternoon. Sure, they wouldn't be able to do anything. But being near her was enough for Quinn.

"It doesn't seem that busy today," Judy observes as they walk through the mall.

"Well it is a school night," Quinn answers with a shrug.

"Oh, that's right," Judy says. She smiles upon entering the Calvin Klein store and waves at a surprised Rachel. "Hey!"

"Judy! Quinn! How nice to see you both," Rachel beams as the last customer in her line gathers their things and leaves. "What brings you here today?"

"I just saw some blouses online that I really liked and thought I'd try them on," Judy smiles. "If you don't mind."

"No! Of course not. Just find whatever you're looking for and I'll ring you up with my discount," she offers.

"Great, thank you!" The older Fabray disappears to the back of the store in search of the items of clothing she wanted.

When she's out of earshot, Rachel quirks an eyebrow at Quinn. "This is a nice surprise. I didn't know you both were coming," she says formally.

"I sent you a message when we left the house," the blonde says as she leans against the counter.

"You know I'm not allowed to text when there's customers around."

"Yes, because there's _so_ many customers." Quinn gestures to the otherwise empty store.

"Oh hush you," Rachel nudges her.

"Well it's true."

After a few minutes, when Judy finds what she came there to get, she makes her way back up to the front.

She opens her mouth to announce that she's ready to check out, but stops dead in her tracks when she finally sees _it_.

It's not the way that Rachel stares lovingly into her daughter's eyes. It's not the way that they speak to each other as if they've been best friends for years. It's not the way that they look at each other like nothing else exists. And it's not the way that an obvious intensity surrounds them.

No. It's something else that catches her eye.

Rachel's necklace.


	27. Chapter 27

_No. It's something else that catches her eye._

_Rachel's necklace._

Quinn frowns when she notices her mother just absently staring at her. "Mom? Are you okay?"

"I..." Judy looks back and forth between them both. "I'm sorry. I'm suddenly not feeling too well. I think I need to go home and lie down." She clears her throat and looks away.

"I can ring those up right now if you want," Rachel offers, taking a step forward.

"No thank you," Judy says quickly before placing the clothes on the counter. "I really need to go. Quinn? Are you ready?"

"Yeah," Quinn answers. "I'll drive for you."

Her mother nods. "Let's go."

As they make their way out, Quinn glances at Rachel. The two send each other equal looks of confusion.

* * *

"I don't see how an ice sculpture would be unpractical."

"Kurt, it's an outdoor wedding, in the middle of the summer. It won't last an hour into the reception."

"Fine. Whatever. We'll scratch that idea then."

"That's five hundred dollars you can spend somewhere else," Rachel chuckles.

She and Kurt have been at it all afternoon. The days were coming and going quickly, which meant that the wedding was fast approaching. This whole wedding planning thing was a lot harder than she thought it would be, and she definitely had her work cut out for her.

"Are you and Blaine almost done with the guest list? We need to get those invitations out soon. Booking a flight and hotel in New York at the last minute is a nightmare."

"We've narrowed it down to about a hundred and fifty people. And of course, everyone gets a plus one."

"Oh my god..." Rachel groans, laying her face down on the table. "Figuring out the seating arrangement is gonna be a pain in the ass."

Kurt laughs and nods in agreement, but pauses when he hears the front door opening. "Who's that?"

Rachel beams and gets up. "I'll be right back."

She runs to the front of the house to see her girlfriend stepping inside. "Hey you," she greets.

"Hey," Quinn smiles before swooping in for a kiss. "I missed you," she murmurs.

"I missed you too." Rachel squeezes her shoulders before taking a step back. "Is Judy feeling better?"

Ever since the day before when Judy left the store in such a haste, Rachel's been slightly worried.

"She hasn't said anything. When we got home she went straight to her room. But I guess she's feeling better because she's going into work tonight," the blonde shrugs.

"Oh," is all she says.

"Did I come at a bad time?" Quinn asks.

"No! Kurt and I were just going over some wedding stuff."

She takes the girl's hand and pulls her to the dining room.

"Kurt was just telling me they're planning on having over _three hundred_ people," she says as they sit down.

"Are they all going to fit?" Quinn frowns.

"It's a tentative number. But we'll make them fit. And hi, by the way," Kurt smiles at her.

"Hi Kurt. So, what do you guys have so far?"

He moves to the edge of his seat eagerly and grins. "It's going to be elegant, yet we want to keep things simple. We're going with a black and white theme."

"Which is completely overdone," Rachel mumbles.

"Tell me then," he turns to her. "What was the theme at your wedding?"

She furrows her brow, "I got married in a courthouse."

"Exactly. So shut it. Getting married in a courthouse is overdone," he winks at Quinn while Rachel huffs. "We already have our tuxes picked out. They're exactly the same for the most part, only mine is a classic black tie while Blaine is going to wear a bow tie. That's kind of his thing."

"I noticed," Quinn chuckles.

"And we're keeping the menu simple too. There'll be a variety of seafood as well as vegan options for weird people like this one," he points a thumb over at Rachel.

She rolls her eyes. "Kurt, I haven't been a vegan since college."

"So as can see, there's still a lot to decide on." He taps on the large binder in the center of the table. "Why hire a wedding planner when you can drive yourself crazy with Rachel Berry for several weeks?"

"You knew what you were getting into," Rachel points at him. "Now Quinn, would you mind helping Kurt pick out an invitation? He's narrowed it down to thirty templates."

Quinn's eyebrows shoot up. "Only thirty?"

"That's right," he says as he pulls a folder out of the binder. "They're all in here. Knock yourself out."

She opens the folder and begins to look at all of the invitation samples with a frown.

Rachel smiles at her girlfriend and reaches over to take her hand.

"Did Rachel tell you that she'll be performing?"

Quinn lights up, "Really?"

"Just a few songs," Rachel says quickly. "Kurt kept insisting."

"That's great, Rach! I can't wait."

"Whatever can keep her away from the open bar," Kurt teases.

"Ugh," Rachel ignores him and reads over his "tentative" guest list.

After a few minutes, Kurt decides that he hasn't messed with Rachel enough after how much she's annoyed him today. "So Quinn, what do you want your wedding to be like?"

Her eyes widen, and so do Rachel's. "Um...I haven't really thought about it. Like ever."

"Do you want a big wedding or a small, private affair?"

"I'm not sure."

"Or would you rather get married in a courthouse?" He side glances a red-faced Rachel.

"No," Quinn shakes her head. "Not in a courthouse."

"I'm glad that you have more taste than that."

"Thanks?"

"But you do want to get married one day, right? Or are you one of those people that doesn't believe in marriage?"

"I..." she looks to Rachel, afraid she'll say the wrong thing.

"Relax Quinn, I'm just teasing," Kurt smiles. "And don't worry, I'm sure Rachel's been mentally planning your wedding for months now."

"Okay," Rachel interrupts. "I think we're done for today." She snaps the binder shut.

"Aww, but I was having so much fun!" Kurt replies.

"Yeah, yeah. We'll continue this later. For now, I would like to have some alone time with my girlfriend."

He wiggles his eyebrows as he gathers his things and stands. "Have fun you two. It's getting late anyway."

"See you later, Kurt," Quinn smiles.

"Bye Quinn!" he calls out as he makes his way outside.

When they hear the door slam, she turns to Rachel and smirks, "So, is it true?"

"I don't know what you're taking about," the woman sputters.

Quinn gazes at her softly and smiles. "Well?"

Her heart melts at the look the girl was giving her. She clears her throat, "Is what true?"

"Were you really a vegan?"

Rachel's mouth drops open. "You ass!"

"You know you love me," Quinn laughs.

"Yes, I do," she stands with a huff. "I love you very much. But you're still an ass!"

"Hey." The blonde gets up and silences her with a kiss. "I'm _your_ ass."

"That is true," Rachel sighs before ushering Quinn to the bedroom. "Now come on. We have some lost time to make up for."

* * *

After Quinn leaves the next morning for class, Rachel decides to sleep in for a couple more hours given that it's one of her days off.

By the time she's showered and ready for the day, it's nearly lunch time. She thinks about maybe going to the university to have lunch with Quinn. But she doesn't remember exactly what time the girl has a break.

She goes to the living room where she had left her phone and sends her girlfriend a text message, but figures she won't respond right away if she's in class.

She jumps when a sharp knock sounds at the door. She frowns as she wasn't expecting anyone to come by, but decides to answer it anyway.

Her pulse quickens when she opens the door and sees who it is. "Judy! Hi!"

The other woman doesn't return the enthusiasm and it makes Rachel uneasy. "Can I come in?"

It's said in such a serious tone that she knows she can't say no.

"Of course! Come on in. I'm not busy or anything."

She steps aside, allowing Judy to wordlessly march inside.

She follows closely behind her to the living room. "So, what brings you here?"

Instead of answering right away, Judy starts observing the room around her. "I don't hear much from you anymore and I'm wondering what you've been up to."

Rachel swallows as she watches her walk around, closely examining everything. "I'm sorry about that. I'm just so busy with work, the glee club, and helping Kurt plan for his wedding."

Judy nods, seemingly ignoring her. She picks up a jacket hanging off the back off the couch. "Isn't this Quinn's?"

"Oh, yes! She must've left it here by accident."

The woman looks her up and down. "I'll make sure that she gets it back."

Her phone suddenly vibrates on the couch with a text message from Quinn. Rachel quickly grabs it and fumbles to put it away in her pocket.

"Is that Quinn?" Judy asks.

Rachel falters before pulling herself together. "Yes! It was. Coincidentally enough, she was wondering if her jacket was here." She forces a laugh and internally face palms at how contrived it sounds.

Judy tilts her head and stares at her. Rachel's never felt so vulnerable or terrified under someone's gaze before. What was she doing?

"That's a lovely necklace."

She doesn't mean to do it. She wants to kick herself for doing it. But her hand somehow decides to bring itself up and cover the necklace.

"I...thanks."

"It's the exact same one that Quinn was so fond of," Judy says as she steps closer. "And now you have one just like it."

"I just –" she takes a deep breath. "I liked it so much that I bought one for myself."

"Is that so?"

"Yes..."

Judy continues to stare her down. And Rachel swears she can feel herself trembling in fear. She really wishes that Quinn were here right now...

"I know that it's you," Judy finally says, her voice laced with venom.

She blinks, stunned. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't play stupid with me, Rachel. I know that something is going on between you and Quinn!" She shouts so loud that Rachel quickly takes a few steps back to put some distance between them. In all of her years, she's never seen her this livid before.

"Judy..."

"Have you lost your fucking mind? She is my daughter! Did you forget about that?" Tears of anger were beginning to form in her eyes.

"Please just listen to me," Rachel tries weakly. "I didn't mean for anyone to get hurt."

"I trusted you! I gave you another chance and let you back into our lives and this is how you repay me?"

Rachel shakes her head, her own tears falling down her face.

"I'm going to ask you one more time. What were you thinking?"

"I don't know, okay! It just all happened so fast and we were spending a lot of time together and –"

"And you thought that you could just mess with my only daughter?"

"It wasn't like that! I care about her!"

Judy was fuming and uncontrollably pissed. She then turns herself around to rub her forehead. When she looks at Rachel again, she asks, "How long has this been going on?"

Rachel shakes her head. "I –"

"You tell me right now and don't you dare lie to me!" Judy points a finger in her face. "How long has this been going on?"

"Since last summer," she forces out.

Her sister's expression changes into complete shock. "What?"

"Since last summer," Rachel repeats. "That's how long Quinn and I have been...seeing each other like this."

"Oh my god." Judy feels like she's just been punched in the stomach. "You've been lying for nearly a year?"

"We were going to tell you," Rachel says. "I don't know when. But we were!"

"Do you have any idea how low you've gone? I get that being divorced is hard and all. But to manipulate Quinn like that is –"

"I would never manipulate her! I love her!" Rachel shouts back for the first time.

Judy stops. "What?"

Her words were already out there and she can't take them back. She might as well be completely honest now. "I said I love Quinn. And she loves me just the same."

The other woman is silent once again, letting everything sink in. "Have you..." she turns her head and squeezes her eyes shut, breathing through her nose. "Have you slept together?"

This was the last question that Rachel ever wanted to answer. She hesitates for a moment. "Yes."

The sound of a hard slap echoes across the room as she feels a white hot pain quickly spread across her cheek. She gasps and brings a hand up to the side of her face.

"You're sick, Rachel," Judy spits.

"Please, I'm so sorry!" she cries.

"Oh, you're sorry? Were you sorry when you decided to take advantage of my daughter?"

"I didn't –" She's shoved hard into the wall behind her.

"How could you do this? As if you haven't done enough damage to my family already!"

She shoves her again.

"Judy! Please stop!"

"I hate you. I honestly hate you, Rachel!" Judy screams. "And I'm sure mom and dad are so proud of you right now!"

Rachel openly sobs. She knew talking to Judy about everything was inevitable. She just wasn't expecting it to go like this.

"I'm sorry..."

"You're going to stay away from my family. You're going to stay away from Quinn. Do you understand me? You are dead to me."

She uses any bravery that she has left to shake her head. "I can't do that. I meant it when I said that I loved her. I'm not leaving Quinn."

Judy finally takes a step back and somehow manages to laugh. "You really think Quinn will stay with you? How stupid are you, Rachel?"

She glares, "Quinn won't –"

"Let me stop you right there. The more time that passes, the more she's going to see exactly what you did. She's going to see how you took advantage of her, used her, and messed with her head in this twisted little game of yours. And she's going to hate you for it. She's going to realize that she doesn't deserve to be with a nutcase. Because that's all you are. You're sick and you need serious help."

Rachel has no way to respond to that. All she can do is turn away from Judy's determined gaze.

"Just do everyone a favor, and stay away from my daughter. And never speak to any of us ever again."

"Judy..."

"I'm leaving now." Judy moves back and looks at the woman she used to consider to be her sister. "Because if I stay here any longer, I'm going to kill you."

She then turns on her heel and leaves without another word.

When Rachel is finally alone to let everything sink in, she collapses onto the floor and cries.

* * *

Quinn rushes home after class to put her stuff away and go see Rachel. The woman never responded to her earlier message and she hasn't heard from her since. She can't shake this gut feeling that something is wrong.

When she parks her car in the driveway, she throws the door open and rushes inside the house.

As soon as she's inside, she hears a voice call out from the living room, "Quinn?"

She frowns and makes her way over, only to see her parents sitting on the couch, as if waiting for her.

When she locks eyes with Russell, her heart sinks. "What's going on?"

"Sit down," Judy says sharply.

The girl drops her bag to the floor and does as she's told, sitting down across from them.

After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, she asks, "Mom?"

"I know about Rachel."

Her eyes widen. "How did you –"

"I know everything, Quinn. I thought you were smarter than that. How could you let her do that to you?"

"She didn't do _anything_ to me. I wanted this."

"Just stop, okay? You might be young and naive but she should have known better. She preyed on you, Quinn."

She shakes her head and covers her face with her hands. This isn't happening...

"Mom, you can't just blame Rachel. I took part in this too!"

"And did you never once think about the repercussions of this...relationship?"

"Of course I did."

"I've already talked to Rachel."

Quinn stands and stares down at her mother. "What did you do?"

"I told her to stay away from you. That woman has some serious issues, Quinn. And if you think I'm going to allow you to be anywhere near that, you're completely mistaken. This ends now."

"You can't force me to do anything! I'm not a child anymore!"

Judy stands up and narrows her eyes. "You're still my daughter and you still live in this house!"

"I'm old enough to make my own decisions! Please mom, just trust me. What I have with Rachel isn't what you think it is! This is something very real to me and I want you to see that!"

"This is what she wants you to believe, Quinn! She is sick and she's affecting you!"

Quinn can't take this anymore. She chokes back her sobs and looks at her father, who's been silent throughout the whole exchange. "Dad, do something! Tell her what you told me!"

Judy's shifts her focus over to her husband. "You knew about this?" she snaps.

Russell sighs, "Judy..."

"Am I seriously the last person to know? You knew and you allowed it to continue? How could you?"

"It's not his fault. I made him promise not to tell you," Quinn defends her father.

"Quinn knows what she's getting into," Russell says to his wife. "She was afraid to tell you because she knew you would react this way. I know that this is hard to handle right now, but I trust her judgment."

"And you really think she's making the right decisions? Look at what's happened, Russell!" She turns back to her daughter. "This _thing_ with Rachel is over."

"Mom," she chokes out. "Don't do this. I'm sorry. I really am. But I'm not going to stop seeing her."

"Is that really your decision?"

"I..." She hates being in this position. But she knew it was coming. "Yes."

"Then get out."

She gapes at her mother in disbelief, "Mom..."

"You've made your choice. Now get out of my house. You are cut off and I will _not_ support you anymore. You are not welcome back for as long as Rachel is around. Do you understand me?"

Quinn's whole body shakes. "Please –"

"Get your stuff and get out."

She knows that there's no sense in arguing with her mother when she's as angry as she is right now. So Quinn pulls herself together and quickly goes upstairs.

When she gets to her room, she throws her duffel bag onto the bed and starts shoving as many clothes as she can into it. She then crams all of her school books and laptop into her school bag.

As she's doing so, Russell appears in the doorway. "I'm sorry, Quinn."

"There's nothing you could have done," she says while she multitasks. She grabs some of the pictures off the wall of her, Santana, and Puck.

"No matter what your mom says, I'll still be here for you. You can still come to me if you need any money or anything else," he says sadly.

She shakes her head. "She's right. If I want to be an adult, then I need to act like one."

"Quinn..."

"I'll be fine, dad."

When she feels that she has everything she needs, she looks around to make sure she's not forgetting anything.

She turns to Russell, "Please take care of mom. And make sure that she knows how sorry I am."

"She's going to be okay. She just needs time. But don't worry, I'll keep trying to talk to her." He wraps his arms around his daughter and pulls her into a hug. "I love you."

"I love you too, dad," she replies, fighting back more tears.

"I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"

She nods, "Okay." When they pull apart, she grabs her bags. "I should probably get going."

"Will Rachel let you stay with her for now?"

"Of course."

He sighs. "That's good."

"Yeah," she nods. "Okay...bye dad."

She grabs her bags and steps around him to leave her room. As she goes back downstairs and passes through the living room, her mother is nowhere in sight.

She makes her way to Rachel's house as fast as she can. God only knows what happened there earlier.

When she gets inside, the whole house is eerily silent. She frowns and calls out, "Rachel?"

"Quinn?" she hears coming from the living room. She makes her way over to see the woman hunched over on the couch with red-rimmed eyes as if she's been crying for hours.

She instantly drops her stuff and sits down next to her, pulling her close. "I'm here."

Rachel clutches at her shirt and begins sobbing again.

"Shh, it's okay," Quinn reassures her. She feels her own tears emerging. "It's going to be okay."


	28. Chapter 28

Two weeks have passed since the day Quinn was forced out of her home. Russell still checks in with her frequently, which she truly appreciates. But there was still radio silence from her mother. She often found herself contemplating about trying to get in touch with Judy, but thought better against it. The dust was still settling.

And things with Rachel were...different, to say the least.

The air has definitely changed between them, and it's making Quinn seriously worry. The woman completely refuses to talk about what happened with Judy, which Quinn finds understandable. She knows what Rachel must be going through, so she's been giving her space.

So much space that they've hardly done anything physical. There's the occasional kiss, which is, nearly all of the time, initiated by Quinn. But nothing ever goes beyond that. It's almost as if Rachel feels awkward with her now.

And that doesn't bode well with Quinn. If her mother said anything to make Rachel doubt their relationship, then they needed to talk about it, and fast. Two weeks should have been enough time for Rachel to come around, but she still hasn't.

Quinn's mind keeps going back to the letter that she received in the mail earlier in the day. That was a whole other topic that she had to talk to Rachel about. But first, she needed to find out where they stood.

"Kurt said that he would pick you up in an hour or so," Rachel calls out from the bathroom, interrupting Quinn's thoughts. She comes out of the bathroom spritzing her wrists with a small bottle of perfume. "Is that okay with you?"

Quinn smiles and puts her book down next to her in the bed. She had been reading, or at least trying to with all that was going on inside her head. "Tell him I'll be ready."

Rachel nods and goes back into the bathroom. Tonight was the glee club's Regionals competition. And luckily, the higher powers decided to have it at the McKinley auditorium this year.

Since Rachel and Blaine had to be there an hour early with the club, Kurt agreed to give Quinn a ride since she no longer had her own car. Her father had offered to work something out with her so she wouldn't have to be without one, but she politely declined.

"Alright," Rachel comes out of the bathroom once again. "I have to get going. I'll see you there, okay?"

"Yeah." Quinn takes in the woman's appearance with her favorite black sweater and gray skirt, and her perfectly done hair and makeup. God, she was so beautiful. "I love you," she says suddenly.

Rachel looks away and clears her throat. "Love you too," she says as she grabs her purse.

Quinn sighs. As her girlfriend walks to the bedroom door, she softly calls out, "Rachel?"

The woman stops and turns around to look at her expectantly. Quinn hops off the bed and approaches her, taking her hands into her own. She doesn't know exactly what she was planning to say, so she settles for, "Good luck tonight."

Rachel looks up at her through her eyelashes and murmurs, "Thank you."

Quinn wants to lean in for a kiss, but doesn't want to face disappointment if it's not returned again. So instead, she presses her lips to her cheek and whispers, "I'll see you there."

Rachel pulls back and brings a hand up to softly cup the blonde's cheek. Just when Quinn thinks she's going to say something, she drops her hand and smiles before turning on her heel and leaving like she was before.

* * *

When she hears the blare of a car horn outside, Quinn knows that Kurt is there, so she rushes out of the house and gets into his waiting car.

"Sorry I'm late. I couldn't find my keys," Kurt apologizes as he quickly reverses out of the driveway and peels off down the street.

"It's no problem," Quinn says as she puts on her seatbelt. "We'll make it in time."

He nods as he focuses on the road. After a few minutes, he says, "You look stunning, as always."

"Thanks. You look...dapper?"

"I'll take it," he laughs. "Have you guys booked your flights for the wedding yet?"

Quinn shakes her head, "No, we haven't." Rachel hasn't brought up the subject at all. She wasn't sure if they were even still going. "I'll talk to Rachel about getting it done soon."

Kurt purses his lips. "I know she's got a lot going on. Especially after what happened with Judy," he says cautiously.

She whips her head to look at him. "She told you about that?"

"Well yeah. She cried to me about it at work the next day and told me everything. It was pretty hard on her."

Quinn frowns and stares back out the window. Rachel can talk to Kurt about it, but not her? Of course he was her best friend, but it still hurts. "She never told me what happened," she murmurs.

Kurt is surprised at the statement. But then again, it's _Rachel_.

"You know that she's an idiot sometimes," he says.

"I didn't –"

"I mean, no offense to Rachel, but she's always been terrible in relationships."

"I'm just trying to give her space," Quinn says. "She'll come to me when she's ready."

"But clearly this is affecting you. And won't see that if you don't tell her. If you want to get through to her, you're going to have to force her to talk about it. She won't be happy at first, but it's the best thing for your relationship. Trust me, I've known her for a long time."

Quinn stops and mulls over his words. She then asks, "This stays between us, right?"

"My lips are sealed," Kurt smiles. "Is there anything else you'd like to get off your chest while I'm here?"

She sighs. There's a lot that she would like to get off her chest. She's been keeping so many things to herself since there was very few people she could turn to. Her best friend was on the other side of the country and her girlfriend was a brick wall at this point. "Sometimes I feel like she doesn't want me there."

"How do you figure?"

"I don't know," she stops to bite her lip. "Once in a while, I get the feeling that whatever my mom said really got to her and now she doesn't see me in a romantic way anymore. Like now she's just uncomfortable with me being there. I even stay in the guest bedroom sometimes because it can be so awkward lying next to her."

They pull into the school parking lot. Kurt kills the engine before he speaks again. "I think that if Rachel didn't want you there, she would have said something by now."

Quinn shakes her head. "Maybe just feels guilty that I have nowhere else to go at the moment."

"Well like I said, you need to talk to her about it," he nudges her. "Believe me, she's stubborn. You have to really push her."

"And what if she hates me for it?"

He sighs, "Quinn, be the selfish one for once. She could never hate you."

They both exit the car and make their way to the auditorium.

Kurt looks at her in sympathy and takes her hand. "Look at it this way: if you two can make it through this, you can make it through anything."

"I hope so," she mumbles.

"Whatever happens, it's going to be okay in the end."

They take their seats near the front. When she's settled, Quinn looks over at him and smiles. "I'm really glad that she has you in her life."

"Hey, I'm your friend now too," he smiles back.

"You're going to be a great husband to Blaine."

Before he can reply, he sees his fiancé as well as Rachel are walking through the aisle to take their seats next to them. He leans over and whispers, "And you're the only one that's ever had my approval for Rachel."

Quinn smiles to herself. She then turns to her girlfriend as she sits down next to her. "Is everything okay?"

Rachel nods, undeterred, "The kids are just nervous, but that's normal. They've got this."

She chuckles at her girlfriend's determination before focusing her gaze on the stage when the lights go down and the announcer introduces The Warblers.

* * *

Quinn thinks that The Warblers' performance was cute at the most. While they had quite an impressive acapella ensemble, they were lacking in creativity when it came to theatricality. She didn't think that they had much going on with their choreography and just kind of stood in the same general area.

The next group to go on was Vocal Adrenaline. And Quinn wouldn't admit it, but they completely blew her away. However, this made her incredibly nervous for the New Directions. Vocal Adrenaline's entire set was just one song, _Bohemian Rhapsody_. Their vocals and choreography were flawless. And their gymnastics were so perfect that they seemed like they could rival even Sue Sylvester's Cheerios.

She turns to look at Rachel, who looks just as nervous as she watches them. When their set is finished, the woman leans over and whispers, "I had no idea they were _this_ good."

Quinn shrugs, "They were okay I guess."

Rachel looks at her and shakes her head with a small smile and makes Quinn's breath hitch for a moment. One of her favorite things is making her smile.

She turns to the stage again when the New Directions are announced. She feels Rachel nudge her and looks over at her.

"The theme they chose this year was 'Decades'. So we picked three songs from different decades," she explains.

Quinn nods in understanding and turns her attention back to them.

Their opening number is _Don't Stop Believing_ , which makes her smile. She had always found it to be a classic and thought that the New Directions did it justice. When it's over, the crown roars in applause.

"Do you think anyone noticed Rory going sharp in the verse?" Rachel asks as she claps along.

Quinn frowns. She doesn't even know who that was and as far as she could tell, they sounded great. "I don't think so."

Before Rachel can say anything else, they go into their next number, which is _Don't Look Back In Anger_ with just two boys and two girls singing this time. Quinn thinks that they stuck more to a rock theme and have made excellent choices with the songs so far.

The song didn't call for much dancing, but she thinks they pulled it off quite nicely. And again, the crowd applauds enthusiastically when it's over.

The New Directions' final song is _Beautiful Day_. Quinn finds that it's the perfect way to end the set. By the time it's over, the audience is on their feet.

She can't help but notice that Rachel still looks incredibly nervous and takes the woman's hand in her own and gently squeezes.

* * *

After the judges make their decision, the glee clubs gather around on stage to wait for the verdict. Quinn notices Rachel locking hands with Blaine and everyone else in the club and feels Kurt latch onto her own arm. With how anxious she was, she could only imagine how Rachel must feel right now.

She sees the sighs of relief when The Warblers are announced as the second place winners, leaving Vocal Adrenaline and New Directions left for first. The crowd cheers on while the lead Warbler takes the trophy for them.

Quinn closes her eyes and she awaits the announcement, which seems to be taking forever to come this time.

But when it does, words can't explain the shock and disappointment she feels when Vocal Adrenaline is announced.

"Oh no," Kurt gasps.

She dares to look at Rachel, whose face instantly fills with heartbreak, along with Blaine and all of New Directions. But she quickly snaps out of it and ushers the kids off the stage.

"They're probably going to the choir room," Kurt says while he stands and tugs on Quinn's arm. "Come on."

By the time they get to the choir room, Rachel, Blaine, and the glee club are already inside with the door locked. Quinn glances through the window to see what looks like Blaine giving everyone a pep talk.

"After all of their hard work," Kurt says. "Those poor kids."

She nods her head in agreement, more concerned with Rachel than anyone else. She and Kurt then stand there in silence, waiting for them to come out.

After a while, the upset club starts filing out and Kurt takes the opportunity to slip inside. "Wait here," he tells Quinn.

The blonde nods and stays outside the door.

When he gets inside, he sees Blaine and Rachel talking quietly to each other. When she sees Kurt, she walks over and pulls him to the side out and of earshot of the remaining kids. "Can you give Quinn a ride home?"

He frowns, "What? Why?"

"Blaine and I kind of...need a drink right now."

He gapes at her. "Are you serious?"

"You can come too if you want. But I know you have work in the morning."

He locks eyes with Blaine and scowls before turning back to his best friend. "No."

Rachel is caught off guard. "No?"

"No," he repeats. "As in, you need to go home with your _girlfriend_."

She sighs, "Quinn will understand and –"

"Of course she would. But that doesn't mean that you should leave her alone."

When the last of the glee kids are gone, Blaine joins in on their conversation and says, "Look, Rachel is right. Tonight really sucks and –"

"Going out and getting wasted won't help you at all," Kurt interrupts. "Blaine, I promise, things will be fine if you just come home with me." He gives him the look that says no further arguing will change what he says. He then turns to Rachel. "And you will be okay as long as you go home with Quinn."

She opens her mouth to say something, but he stops her. "Trust me, if you don't get your shit together, then Regionals won't be the only thing that you lose."

She narrows her eyes at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He folds his arms across his chest and nods his head towards the door, "I think Quinn's waiting on you."

They continue to stare each other down, Kurt daring her to say something else. After a moment, she walks past him and out the door.

She sees Quinn leaning against a row of lockers. When the blonde notices her coming out, she immediately walks over and says, "I can drive, if you want."

Rachel nods with a smile. "Thank you."

* * *

By the time they get to the house, Rachel's anger has built up so much that she storms inside fuming.

"Such bull shit," she shouts as she throws her purse on the couch and heads to the kitchen.

Quinn makes sure that the front door is locked and quickly chases after Rachel. She finds the woman in the kitchen pulling a bottle of vodka out of the freezer.

"I mean, Vocal Adrenaline I can understand. But The Warblers? Are you fucking kidding me?" she rants, more to herself than anything.

"They weren't even that good! At least six of them were off key at some point. And...Quinn, what are you doing?" she asks as the blonde snatches the bottle out of her hands.

"I don't think you need this," her girlfriend answers as she puts it back into the freezer.

Rachel groans and heads into the living room, where she plops down on the couch. Quinn is instantly by her side.

"I just don't understand," she sighs.

"I know. It's stupid, but it's going to be okay," Quinn says as she takes the woman into her arms.

Rachel pulls out of the embrace and rests her face against the palm of her hand.

"Hey," Quinn softly rubs her back. "Just tell me what I can do to make it better?"

"I just need some time to myself," Rachel sighs.

"I'm not leaving you by yourself."

"Quinn," she tries. "Please. Can you just give me tonight? This is just something else to add to the list of shit I can't deal with right now."

"And how many more nights are you going to need for yourself?" Quinn presses.

"You know all that's been going on," Rachel snaps. "You know how hard things have been for me."

"And you seriously think it hasn't been hard for me?"

She sighs, "Quinn..."

"My own mother won't even talk to me. And I have no choice but to live with a girlfriend that probably doesn't even want to be with me anymore," Quinn's voice cracks. This isn't the way that she wanted to bring it up, but she can't hold it in any longer.

"That's not true!"

"Isn't it?"

"Of course not!"

Quinn scoffs, "You could've fooled me."

"Look," Rachel takes her hand. "I know it's hard for you to understand what I'm thinking sometimes, but –"

"How can I when you won't even talk to me?" Quinn asks. "And some days you won't even look at me. Just tell me, Rachel. What _are_ you thinking?" She gestures between them. "What is this to you now?"

"I don't want to break up if that's what you're asking," Rachel says softly. "And I don't mean to push you away. Even _I_ don't know what goes on in my head sometimes. I'm sorry."

"I know you don't mean to. But that doesn't change the fact that you do. You're not the only one going through this. We were supposed to be in this together." Quinn stands and runs a hand through her hair in an attempt to gather herself.

After a minute, she says, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make your night worse. I just couldn't hold it in anymore. I...we can talk about this tomorrow I guess."

"Quinn, don't apologize." Rachel reaches to take her hand again, but the girl steps out of reach.

"I was going to tell you, but I got a letter from NYU earlier." The woman holds her breath as she waits for Quinn to continue. "They're offering me the scholarship. And I'm going to take it. Of course, you don't have to go with me if you don't want to. I just thought I'd let you know."

Rachel doesn't know how to respond right now. All she can do is watch as Quinn retreats into the guest bedroom and shuts the door behind her.

She lets the new information sink in for a moment. Quinn was leaving. She was leaving for New York, and she felt so alone here that she was willing to go without Rachel.

She looks around the living room as painful memories begin to haunt her. From accidentally hurting her girlfriend after pushing her hard in this very room, to Quinn packing her things and leaving because their relationship was crumbling.

Rachel's worst side came out because that Marley girl had been getting in between them. And now, the only thing getting between them was herself. And she'll be damned if history repeats itself because _she_ can't stop fucking everything up.

Kurt was right. She had bigger things to worry about than losing Regionals.

She quickly gets up and tries the guest room door, thanking god that Quinn left it unlocked. She peers inside to see the blonde already lying in bed, facing away from her. She crawls on the mattress and presses herself against Quinn's back, wrapping an arm around her waist and squeezing tight.

"Maybe we can look around for a place when we go up there for the wedding," she says.

Quinn frowns and turns around to face her. "Rachel..."

"I already told you, you're not going anywhere without me." For the first time in too long, she takes the girl's face in her hands and presses their lips together. "I love you."

The blonde regards her for a moment before clearing her throat. "I'm sorry for that…outburst. You're having a terrible night and you have every right to be upset right now."

"Don't be. I'm the one that should be embarrassed with how I've been acting."

"You know you don't have to stay in here with me," Quinn says. "I know you wanted to be alone tonight."

"It's okay."

She lightly tugs at her sleeve. "Don't you want to change?"

Rachel scoots back and quickly peels off her sweater and skirt before tossing them to the floor. She then crawls under the blanket and shifts closer. "I think I'll be fine as long as you hold me," she says.

She smiles when the girl pulls her into her side and kisses her temple. After a minute, Quinn lazily runs her fingers along her shoulder.

A little while later, Rachel sighs. Quinn had asked what she was thinking and she deserves to know the truth. "Judy kept saying that I took advantage of you."

Quinn nods, "She told me the same thing."

"She said that it was sick for me to be doing this with you," Rachel continues. "And she basically told me that I need professional help because I'm insane."

"You know that's not true," Quinn says. "You're not crazy, Rachel."

"I know," she smiles sadly. "But for a minute there...I think I actually believed it."

"Is that why you were pushing me away? Because you suddenly thought being with me was wrong?"

Rachel squeezes her eyes shut. "I didn't even realize I was doing it. I'm so sorry, Quinn."

"It's okay," Quinn says soothingly. "What else did she say to you?"

"She said that hates me and that you were going to hate me too one day when you realize that I manipulated you."

"Rachel, that's just not true. You didn't manipulate me and I will never hate you for anything. And who cares if anyone thinks this is wrong? Because it's not. And we love each other too much for anything to break us now."

"I know, Quinn."

"Do you?"

She nods. "The thought of losing you again brought me back to reality. I don't care what anyone says anymore. I still love you and I always will."

"I love you too." Quinn softly strokes her hair. "Did anything else happen?"

Rachel purposely leaves out the part where she had the daylights slapped out of her. She knows that telling Quinn would only make the girl furious. And she's not going to try and turn her against her own mother.

"That's all that matters," she says. "You know, everyone tends to say really mean things when they're angry."

Quinn nods in agreement. "I guess that's true."

They both lay there in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.

Rachel then speaks up, "Maybe she'll come around and be a part of our lives again one day. Or at least yours."

"We'll just have to see," Quinn sighs.

"We're going to get through this," she presses. "I'm going to be there for you. And I'm sorry for being such a dumbass lately."

"You're not," the blonde chuckles. "And I'm not perfect either."

"I think you are."

Quinn wants to argue, but she's silenced with another kiss, and she's not going to break this cherished moment for anything.

When they finally break apart, she says, "So, New York?"

Rachel beams, "I'm so proud of you! I knew you were going to get it."

Quinn blushes before clearing her throat. "The semester starts at the end of August. And I'm not exactly familiar with the area up there, so I thought you'd have the best judgment on where exactly to look for a place."

The woman nods excitedly. "NYU is in lower Manhattan, which is a great area. It's not only way cheaper than living in midtown, but there's lots of parks and places to walk around. Nature, Quinn! And you can get anywhere in New York in no time because there's so many subway stops and bus stops around there. I'll have to take you on the ferry because that would be fun. And on weekends, we can take the train up Long Island and explore all the little towns. And then..."

Quinn listens to her girlfriend go on and on about the wander that is New York for what seems like hours after that. But she doesn't mind. She's just so happy that Rachel is talking to her like this again. And she's never going to take it for granted.

* * *

The months leading up to Kurt and Blaine's wedding are complete bliss for Rachel. While she was bummed that she didn't have a glee club to coach any longer, she was able to spend more time with Quinn and she doesn't think she's ever been happier.

She can't believe that it's already been a year since she moved back to Lima, and nearly a year with Quinn on top of that. She wasn't expecting her life to be where it was now when she got off that plane. Yet here she was, sharing a life with Quinn, and about to start a new chapter together.

With the wedding just around the corner, they already had their flights and hotel booked. They were leaving the following Monday and would stay in the city all week until the wedding on Saturday, when they would spend a couple nights at the house belonging to Blaine's parents.

The plan was to use their time in the city to look at different apartments and decide on one to move into in August. After they got back, she would put her house on the market and hope that it wouldn't take long to sell. Sure, they were cutting it close, but Rachel wasn't too worried.

She figures she should definitely utilize her resources from the first time she lived in New York. And by resources, it was really only one person.

She takes a break from packing her suitcase and sits down on the bed, picking up her phone and scrolling through her contacts until she finds the number she's looking for. She then presses call.

After two rings, he answers, "Hello?"

"Finn," she says.

"Rachel? What's going on? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine and I'm not calling because of anything bad. Do you have a minute?"

"Yeah. I have a meeting to go to, but it's not for another fifteen minutes. So, what's up?"

She takes a deep breath to prepare herself, not sure how this conversation is going to go. She thinks that it's probably best to lay it all out at once.

"I'm moving back to New York in a couple of months. And I'm going to be in town next week to look for an apartment. And the reason I'm calling is because I would really appreciate it if you can ask your real estate friend to maybe help me out while I'm there. What's his name? Sebastian?"

"Sebastian, yeah."

"I remember that he hooked us up with that flat on 52nd."

"Yeah, that was a nice place. And he got us a steal on it too."

"Exactly. So can you ask him for me?"

There's silence on the other end, and she thinks that Finn is probably deep in thought.

"Why are you moving back here?" he finally asks. "I thought you hated this place and never wanted to come back?"

"Why does everyone think New York is like, the bane of my existence? I actually enjoyed living there."

"I know. But I thought you went back to Lima to be with your sister. Did something happen? Is that why you're coming back?"

She sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose. "Everything between me and my family is my business. And I'm moving back not because I'm running away again, but for completely different and private reasons. Can you wrap your brain around that?" she asks, a little too harshly.

"Wow, okay! Sorry. None of my business. Got it."

She immediately cringes, "I'm sorry I'm being rude. It's just really personal and I'd rather not talk about it with you."

"Yeah, I got that," he deadpans.

"But can you please help me?"

"Sure. I mean, I told you that you can still ask if you ever needed anything." She can hear the guilt still evident in his voice. "And I'll give Sebastian your number and have him set up a meeting with you. What areas were you looking into?"

"Lower Manhattan," she answers. "And thank you, Finn."

"It's no problem," he says. "And I should probably get going to that meeting before I get chewed out for being late again. So...take care, Rachel."

She nods. "Bye Finn."

After she hears the line disconnect, she places her phone down and runs a hand through her hair. This was really happening.

She walks over to the dresser to grab her purse, fishing around in it for a small bag. When she finds it, she opens the bag to pull out a small, black square box. Rachel then goes to sit on the bed again and carefully opens to box to stare at what was inside for what may be the hundredth time after picking it up earlier that day.

She feels her heart rate pick up every time she looks at it, just like every time she looks at Quinn. This was another thing that she never saw coming a year ago. _This_ was really happening.

She suddenly hears the front door open and jumps up.

"Shit!" she hisses as she scrambles to close the box and push it back into the bag.

When she hears footsteps fast approaching her room, she panics and promptly shoves it into the bottom of her suitcase.

"Hey," Quinn says as she steps inside.

"Hi!" Rachel exclaims, standing in between the blonde and the suitcase. "How was work?"

"It was fine, for a morning shift." Quinn looks at her and frowns. "You're packing already?"

She rolls her eyes. "One can never be too prepared for anything."

When Quinn chuckles and goes to the closet to change out of her uniform, Rachel quickly zips the suitcase closed and places it on the floor.

Her girlfriend then emerges and walks over to pull her in for a sweet kiss. "I'm so excited," she says.

"Me too," Rachel beams. She knows that they weren't only excited for the trip, but for the move as well. "Trust me, you're going to love it."

"I know I will."

After a few moments longer in their loving embrace, Rachel pulls back and says nervously, "I hope you don't mind, but I talked to Finn."

"Finn?" Quinn furrows her brow. "Why?"

"He has a friend in real estate that can help us find a good deal on an apartment. And this friend, Sebastian, should be able to meet us and show us some places."

Quinn nods because it makes sense. "That would probably be helpful." She kisses her forehead. "And thank you for telling me."

Rachel smiles in relief. Everything is so much easier when they're completely honest with each other. "I love you, you know that?"

"Hmm," Quinn feigns contemplation. "No, I wasn't aware."

She rolls her eyes and takes her hand. "Well I do. Now come on and let's get you packed for the wedding!"


	29. Chapter 29

"Ladies and gentlemen, the captain has turned on the seatbelt sign. Please make sure that your seats are in the upright position as we begin our descent into the LaGuardia airport."

Rachel smiles and nudges the sleeping blonde leaning in her shoulder.

"Hey, wake up," she whispers.

Quinn groans and sits up in her seat, rubbing her eyes. "Are we almost there?"

"We're about to land."

"Shortest nap ever," Quinn says groggily.

"Well it's probably the shortest flight ever," Rachel chuckles.

Quinn hums in agreement as she stares out the window, able to see all of the skyscraper buildings as they get lower to the ground.

"Is that Central Park?"

Rachel leans over to look. "That big green square? Yes, that's Central Park."

Quinn narrows her eyes at her before looking back out the window. "New York doesn't look as big as I thought it would be."

"From up here maybe. Just wait until we're down there." She takes the blonde's hand and squeezes.

As soon as they land, Rachel drags Quinn through the aisle in a hurry, even though it's futile because they're forced to wait on their luggage for half an hour. But as soon as they have all that they need, she rushes them out the door and into the first available cab.

After giving the driver their hotel address, she glances at the excited blonde peering out the window and scoots herself closer. She finds the look on her face completely endearing, and pulls out her phone to subtly snap a picture of the moment before tucking it away.

When they make it to Manhattan, Rachel yelps and clutches the seat as the driver weaves them through traffic dangerously. She shakes her head and puts her seatbelt on, remembering how much she hates can drivers.

"Hey! The Flatiron building!" Quinn points out with a smile. "Like in Spider-Man."

"Mhmm," Rachel replies, too occupied with making sure the people crossing the street in front of them don't get hit by this maniacal driver.

After a few more blocks, they come screeching to a halt.

"We're here already?" Quinn frowns.

"$47.50," the driver grunts at them.

"Jesus fuck," Rachel mumbles as she pulls a few twenties out of her purse. The driver reaches back and immediately snatches them out of her hands. "Keep the change," she rolls her eyes, then quickly gets out when she sees Quinn is already outside with their bags.

After they check in and receive the key to their room, Rachel drops her stuff to the floor as soon as they enter and falls face-first onto the bed.

"This room is really nice, Rach," Quinn says as she looks around.

"I wanted to go all out for you," she murmurs into the pillow.

Quinn smiles and sits down next to her on the bed. "Don't tell me you're tired already."

Rachel lifts her head and sighs, "I'm not the one that slept the entire plane ride."

"I don't know what you're talking about," her girlfriend says as she lies next to her and snuggles into her side. "What's on the agenda for today?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"We're not meeting Sebastian until tomorrow. So for now, it's nap time."

"But Rach," Quinn whines.

"Just a short nap," Rachel smiles. "And then we'll go out to dinner. I promise."

Quinn chuckles as she can hear the woman already dozing off. "Okay baby," she says as she presses a kiss to her cheek. "I'll wake you up in an hour."

* * *

Sometime later, when Rachel finally stirs awake, she hears Quinn quietly shuffling around the room. Her eyes land on the blonde and she immediately sits up when she sees the girl taking things out of her suitcase.

"What are you doing?" she shouts.

Quinn freezes and looks at her in confusion. "Putting our stuff away? I already unpacked my clothes. I just thought I'd do yours while you were asleep."

"No! Stop it right now!" Rachel scrambles over and shuts it. Realizing how crazy she probably looks, she clears her throat, "You don't have to do that for me. I'm perfectly capable of doing it myself. I mean, you do a lot for me already. So don't worry about it."

"Okay..." Quinn stares at her. "What's going on? You're acting weird."

"Well you know how I get after my naps."

"No, not real—"

"I'm just going to finish unpacking," Rachel says quickly as she lugs the suitcase to the closet. "And then we can get ready and go out. Does that sound good?"

"I – sure?" All Quinn can do is watch her drag the damn thing across the room, still completely confused.

"Great! Why don't you get in the shower, and I'll join you in a few minutes?"

"Okay?"

As Quinn walks to the bathroom, she still eyes Rachel carefully.

When Rachel hears the shower running, she rips open the suitcase and sighs in relief when she sees the little black box is still tucked away, having bypassed Quinn's eye.

She takes it over to her purse on the nightstand and carefully hides it in one of the inside pockets. She'll have to make sure to keep it on her at all times and hope that Quinn doesn't attempt to go through it for any reason.

Smiling to herself, Rachel bounds over to the bathroom, shedding her clothes along the way. She peeks her head into the shower to see Quinn rinsing out her hair while facing away from her, then cautiously steps inside.

"Hey," she says as she presses herself against her back and wraps her arms around her waist.

"Is everything okay?" Quinn asks with concern.

"Of course." She leaves a kiss on the girl's shoulder, not planning on letting go any time soon.

After a few minutes of letting the warm water run over them, she asks, "You still love me, right? Even with all my weirdness?"

Quinn chuckles, "Especially with all your weirdness. Why are you asking?"

"I just want to make sure you know what you're in for should you find yourself stuck with me for a very long time."

"You do something every day to remind me of what I'm in for." Rachel frowns, not expecting the answer. "And you somehow make me fall in love with you more and more."

She blushes and smiles, rubbing her cheek against Quinn's shoulder affectionately. "I love you too."

Quinn is able to turn herself around and tilts Rachel's chin up. "Are you sure everything is okay? Are you having doubts about us again?"

"No," Rachel shakes her head. "I promise it's nothing like that. I just think that things will be changing soon."

"Of course they are. We're moving to New York," Quinn smiles. "Just one of our many adventures."

She purses her lips. "You think so?"

The girl presses a kiss to her forehead and pulls her against her chest, tucking her head under her chin. "I hope so."

Rachel feels a little more at ease with Quinn's words. She just hopes that she's not getting ahead of herself.

* * *

She decides to take Quinn to a little Italian restaurant that she had tried once with Finn. She loved the food and the atmosphere, but he hated it so they never went there again.

She blocks that memory out, and instead decides to create a new one with Quinn. And the fact that it was only a few blocks from their hotel didn't hurt either.

Quinn enjoys the food nearly as much as she does, which she was glad for. And after dinner, they stroll hand in hand around the city, just talking and looking at all of the buildings and people passing by.

"Where are we?" Quinn asks after they've been wandering around for over an hour.

Rachel pauses and looks around. There were still several other people walking around as well, so at least they were in a safe area. "I think we're somewhere in Hell's Kitchen," she says.

"Like the show?" the blonde asks, confused.

"No," Rachel laughs. She pulls her down for a kiss and says, "Come on, let's get back to the hotel. We have to be up early tomorrow to meet Sebastian anyway."

"It's such a long walk back," Quinn groans.

"Well that's why there's the subway." She nods her head towards the subway stop further down the street.

"Is it safe to ride at night?"

"As longs as there's other people around, we'll be fine." Rachel then takes her hand and pulls her along. Quinn has to get used to riding the subway anyway.

After they get their tickets and make their way into the car of the awaiting train, they notice that there's a considerable amount of people already onboard.

"See, my love?" Rachel smiles.

Quinn rolls her eyes and giggles as she grabs onto the handrail when the train suddenly starts moving, "Of course you're right."

"Mhmm." She leans into her side and sighs.

"What are you thinking?"

"Just how much I love you."

"Hey." Quinn reaches down to cup her face. "I love you too."

Rachel stares back at her. "Then kiss me."

* * *

The next morning, they rush to get ready for a long day ahead of them. All morning would be spent with Sebastian and looking at different apartments. Then Quinn had to go to NYU to fill out paperwork and take a tour of the campus. And then later, Kurt and Blaine would be flying in and were planning a long afternoon of shopping in the city before they got settled in the house on Long Island.

And true to his word, Sebastian is outside of their hotel with a waiting car at nine o'clock sharp. After a morning of rushing to get ready, Rachel and Quinn are just walking outside as the car pulls up.

The back door opens and an attractive, tall man wearing an expensive designer suit steps out.

"Rachel, it's so good to see you again," he smiles as he takes off his sunglasses and approaches them.

The brunette cordially shakes his hand and smiles. "Hello Sebastian."

"When Finn told me you were moving back, it just completely blew my mind. Such a wonderful surprise." He then turns to Quinn and his eyes widen. "And who is this?"

"This is Quinn," Rachel says.

"Hello," Quinn smiles as she shakes his hand. Her smile falters slightly when he doesn't let go of her hand right away.

"My god, you are beautiful," he says as he stares intently into her eyes.

"Thank you?"

"I should also mention that Quinn is my girlfriend," Rachel pipes up.

He drops her hand and looks back over at the woman. "Finn never mentioned that you were dating women now."

"Because it's none of Finn's business," she says pointedly.

"I can see you've changed quite a bit," he smirks. "You weren't such a spitfire before. I like it."

Rachel smiles despite herself.

"And what is it that you do, Quinn?"

"I'm a student. I'll be attending NYU in the fall."

"Beautiful _and_ smart. Looks like you've got quite the catch here, Rachel." He turns back to the blonde, "If you weren't taken, I'm sure everyone in the city would have their eye on you."

Quinn blushes, "I doubt that."

"Anyway," Rachel interrupts, having no more of this shit. "Why don't we get going?"

"Right, of course." Sebastian walks over to the curb and opens the car door for them. "After you, ladies."

Rachel makes sure that Quinn gets in first so that she can sit in between them. She doubts he'll try anything on her girlfriend, but it's just a precaution.

Once they're in, Quinn whispers, "I thought you said he was gay."

She rolls her eyes and whispers back, "I thought he was! Stop making everybody want you!"

Sebastian settles inside and shuts the car door. He then gives the driver instructions on where to go. Once they're making their way through traffic, he pulls a folder out of his briefcase and hands it over to Rachel.

"Based on all of your requests as well as the price range you gave me over the phone, I found these places to be a good match." His tone is suddenly professional, which Rachel is relieved for. "This first place is in Chelsea, which is only a short drive away."

She nods as her and Quinn both look at the description and photos of the first place. She blows out a puff of air. This is going to be a long morning.

* * *

After a few duds in the Chelsea area, Sebastian scratches the back of his neck and sighs when they get back into the car. "There's a few places in Battery Park City that are a lot nicer than these if you want to head down there?"

Before Quinn can say anything, Rachel shakes her head, "You and I both know that everything down there is overpriced."

He shrugs and nods in agreement before flipping through the folder again. After finding a page that he had forgotten about, he looks over at them and smiles. "I have a place in the village that you might be interested in."

"The village?" Quinn asks, not too familiar with the neighborhoods around there.

"Greenwich Village," he winks at her.

"It's the neighborhood that the campus is in," Rachel explains as she reads over the details. "And judging by the address, it's probably within walking distance."

"Great! Then let's go," Sebastian smiles before giving directions to the driver once again.

Rachel smiles and places her hand on Quinn's knee, rubbing it affectionately.

"You look excited," Quinn whispers.

She looks at her girlfriend and beams, "Because I _am_ excited. It's just all finally coming together."

* * *

The pull into what seems like a quiet street and come to a stop in front of a dark brown apartment building with only three stories.

"Looks like we're here," Sebastian says as he exits the car.

Quinn gets out after Rachel and surveys her surroundings. It was a nice looking area. The buildings had a vintage, inviting feel to them. And all of the people walking and biking around them didn't look like they were murderers. So yes, she was taken so far.

"It's on the second floor," Sebastian says as they walk inside.

After making their way upstairs, he stops in front of the apartment they were there for and reaches for the top of the doorframe, pulling down a hidden key. He then unlocks the door and steps inside, turning on the lights.

"The previous tenants moved out just a few days ago. So we caught it barely in time," he says as Quinn and Rachel come in behind him. "I'll let you both take a look around."

Rachel nods as she begins walking around the apartment. It wasn't huge by any means, especially compared to her house. But at least there was more floor space than the other places they had looked at. And the bedroom was actually separate from the living room. The hardwood floors were also a plus.

Quinn isn't too far behind her as she moves around. After carefully inspecting the living room and the kitchen, they go to the bedroom.

Rachel's eyes widen in surprise when she opens the door and sees that it was actually bigger than she was anticipating it to be. She smiles as she takes a look around at the whole room. She then walks over to the window to see that instead of a brick wall, they actually have a nice view of the street.

She continues to stare out the window as she thinks to herself. This place wasn't the best apartment that she's been in or anything close. But it still feels...perfect.

"Rach," Quinn comes up behind her and places her chin on her shoulder. After a moment, she says, "This is it."

She smiles and turns her head, "Yeah?"

"Well I like it a lot," Quinn laughs. "What about you?"

She nods in agreement. "I think this is the perfect place too."

Something about it just felt right to her. And she was willing to take this chance with Quinn.

But just to be safe, she says, "Let's look at everything one more time to make sure it's all okay."

After doing another run through of the entire apartment, they both join Sebastian outside by the car.

"What do you think?" he asks.

"We love it," Rachel beams while Quinn smiles in agreement.

"Thank god," Sebastian sighs before taking off his sunglasses once again. He holds out a stack of papers and looks at Rachel, "So, you may have noticed that this place is just a _little_ out of your price range. Is that going to be an issue?"

She shakes her head, "You can get the price lowered."

"I don't think I can get much taken off, Rachel."

She rolls her eyes, "Bullshit. I know you were able to knock off nearly half the price of every apartment I got with Finn. I know he's your buddy and everything, but can you please do me this solid?"

He purses his lips as he thinks to himself. Rachel knows that she's pushing it. But this is the place for her and Quinn. She just knows it.

"You'll really be doing me a favor too," Quinn says in what she feels is her sexy voice, taking a step closer to him. Rachel frowns and stares at her, but all Quinn can do is shrug. She didn't even know what she was doing. She was just hoping he would cave. "I mean, it's so close to the school and everything. What do you say?"

She cringes on the inside as she even goes as far as batting her eyelashes. Sebastian, however, seems to fall for it and clears his throat. "I'll do my best, I promise."

Rachel squeals in delight while Quinn throws her arms around him and says, "Thank you!" She then turns to Rachel and pulls her girlfriend into a tight hug.

Sebastian blushes and straightens out his tie. "So it's settled then. I'll pick you both up tomorrow so we can get the paperwork signed."

"That sounds great," Rachel says. She then looks at the time in her phone and tells Quinn, "You have to be at the school in ten minutes."

"I'll drop you both off," Sebastian offers.

Rachel nods and quickly ushers Quinn into the car.

* * *

When they arrive at the campus, Rachel thanks Sebastian profusely and agrees to meet him the following morning to sign all of the required paperwork. He throws one last wink at Quinn before getting back into the car and leaving.

Rachel feels her phone buzz in her pocket and pulls it out to see a text message from Kurt.

She turns to Quinn and says, "Kurt and Blaine already landed. They're on their way to meet us here."

"Okay."

"And just so you know, if I weren't so happy right now, I would be really mad at you."

She marches forward into the building. They're met with several other students waiting around the main area, waiting to be called up.

"What?" Quinn asks. "I don't think Sebastian would be into me if he knew..." she trails off, not wanting to say it.

"I actually think that he would be _really_ into it." She shudders at the thought and shakes her head.

"Rachel?"

"Hmm?" she looks up at her girlfriend.

"We found our place!"

She beams, "I know!"

They embrace in a warm hug, but their celebration is short-lived when Quinn's named is called out.

Quinn sighs as she pulls back. "Are you going to be okay?"

"I'll be fine," Rachel smiles. "The boys should be here soon anyway. Just call me when you're done, alright?"

"Sure." Quinn pecks her lips before turning away. "I'll see you later."

After she watches her girlfriend get escorted away by one of the advisors, Rachel looks around and feels slightly out of place among the young crowd, and decides to go wait outside on a bench. And she didn't really mind as it was a nice day out.

True to his word, Kurt climbs out of a cab down the street about twenty minutes later with Blaine right behind him. Rachel smiles and gets up to go meet them.

"Hey!" she calls out to get their attention.

"Rachel!" Kurt squeals before running over and twirling her around in a massive hug.

"Hey Rach," Blaine smiles as he joins him. "How's New York treating you so far?"

"Amazing!" she says. "And we already found our apartment!"

"What?" Kurt's eyes widen. "Seriously? Tell me all about it!"

She nods with a smile. "It's just a few blocks away if you want to see. Quinn still has a while and I told her to call me when she's through."

"Then what the hell are we waiting for? Let's go!" Kurt exclaims in excitement. Rachel laughs and leads the way to her future home.

* * *

After getting into the apartment with the key she saw Sebastian grab earlier, Rachel gives Kurt and Blaine a tour of the place, which doesn't take very long. As soon as she finishes, Blaine's phone rings.

He groans, "It's the caterer. I have to take this." He then steps outside and closes the door.

Once they're alone, Rachel walks to the living room and asks, "So, what do you think?"

Kurt looks around and smiles, "It's cute. It's what comes to mind when you think of a couple living together in New York for the first time."

She rolls her eyes. "I'm glad you approve." She then sighs, "I hope that you guys will be able to visit once in a while."

"Well," he smirks. "We might be able to visit more than you think."

She frowns, "What do you mean?"

He glances at the front door before stepping closer to Rachel and lowering his voice. "Okay, so it's not exactly official yet, but Blaine's parents are giving us the house on Long Island."

"What!" Rachel whisper-yells. "Kurt, that's amazing!"

He nods, "I know! It'll be easy for me to transfer stores. And with Blaine not having any work right now, it'll be like starting over for him. At least that's what I told him."

"That's a good point. So you haven't decided yet?"

Kurt shakes his head. "I'm all for it. It's just Blaine is weird about taking handouts, especially from his parents. But don't worry, I'll convince him. It's just a matter of when."

She grins at him. Having Kurt at least somewhat nearby would make the move a lot easier on her and Quinn. That way, they'll at least have friends close to them.

"Since you trusted me with this, I have something big to share with you."

"Oh?" Kurt smirks. "Do tell."

She opens her purse and digs around to find the little black box. When she does, she holds it in front of Kurt and opens it.

"Rachel!" he cries out. "Is that what I think it is?"

She nods. "I'm going to ask Quinn to marry me."

"Wow…" he takes the ring out of the box for inspection. "White gold band?" Rachel nods. "Round cut single diamond…" She nods again. "I'd say…one full carat?" Rachel frowns and nods once more. Of course Kurt would analyze the entire ring thoroughly. "The diamond isn't set too high, but not too low either. Balance is perfect. It's a beautiful ring, Rach."

She smiles as she takes it back from him. "Thanks. I spent forever trying to find the perfect ring for her. But I figured it would be better to go with something simple."

"Quinn will love it. She enjoys the classic, simple things. When are you going to ask her?"

She hesitates. "I'm not too sure. I was thinking maybe during the reception. Or maybe after we get back to Lima? I don't know."

"Well what's wrong with the reception? You'll both be dressed up, it's going to be a nice night outside, and love will be in the air after our ceremony. It's completely romantic and perfect. Is there really any better time?"

"I don't know. I mean, it's only a few days away. I'm still trying to mentally prepare myself."

"Are you worried that Quinn is going to say no?"

"She might," Rachel sighs. "And if she does, it's going to be a little awkward moving all the way to New York together with that kind of elephant in the room."

"What makes you think she would say no?" Kurt asks softly. "That girl is crazy about you."

"Maybe because I've already been married before and shared that life with someone else. What if she thinks I only want to do it just to feel secure and be married again just for the sake of being married?"

"Rachel, if you were looking for security, you wouldn't have chosen to be with a college student that also happens to be the daughter of your adoptive sister. Quinn knows that."

She doesn't have anything to say to that. She just buries herself even deeper into her insecure thoughts.

"And she obviously wants to spend her life with you, so you might as well be married. Why are you asking her in the first place?"

She looks back up at him and says, "Because I love her. And I want to be hers in every way possible. Until the day I die."

He smirks triumphantly, "Well there you go."

"But what if –"

"Rachel, shut up. She's going to say yes. It's weird for me to say, but Quinn is amazing. And you need to wife that girl before someone else does. And I swear, if she for some insane reason says no, I'll personally tie her up and hoist her over the Hudson River until she comes to her senses."

"Is everything okay?" Blaine suddenly appears at the door.

Rachel turns to him and before she can open her mouth, Kurt says, "Everything is fine. Rachel is just finally going to put a ring on it."

"Wait, what?" Blaine smiles. "You're getting engaged?"

"It's…a possibility."

"She already bought a ring."

"Congratulations!"

"Thank you. And you both better not say anything," she says firmly.

"Of course not," Blaine says. "You're asking her after the ceremony, right?"

"She'd better," Kurt scoffs. "I'm not letting anyone upstage my wedding."

She rolls her eyes, "Yes, during the reception. Probably towards the end."

"When's the big day?" Blaine asks.

"I have no idea."

"Oh god, you know what this means?" Kurt asks. "We have another wedding to plan together."

She doesn't respond right away, and is luckily saved by the ringing of her phone. She sees Quinn calling and shushes the two men. She answers, "Quinn! Are you already done?"

The blonde responds form the other end, "Yeah it went by pretty quick. Where are you?"

"I was just showing Kurt and Blaine the apartment," she says. "We'll swing by and pick you up and then we can go shopping. Is that okay?"

"Sounds great. I'll see you soon. Love you."

"Love you too," Rachel says before hanging up. She eyes Kurt and Blaine once more. "Not one word."

* * *

After hailing a cab and picking up Quinn, the four of them head to the Rockefeller area where a lot of the high end clothing stores are.

Before they can even venture into the first store, Kurt turns to Quinn and asks, "Do you know what you'll be wearing to the wedding?"

"No, not yet," she says hesitantly, unsure of where this was going with that determined, intimidating look in his eye.

"Oh? Well how about you and I find something for you to wear?" Before she can respond, he grabs her by the arm and starts dragging her away.

"Kurt…" Rachel narrows her eyes at him. "What are you doing?"

He locks eyes with her and smirks. "Relax, we're just going to find a dress. We'll catch up with you both later." He ignores the woman's protests and keeps walking.

Quinn finds herself dragged into a store that she didn't even catch the name of. Kurt looks her up and down and asks, "You're about a size two. Am I right?"

"Um, yes?"

He nods before scourging the store, looking at different dresses on the racks. She treks along behind him and asks, "Kurt, if you don't mind me asking, why are you doing this?"

"Well everyone at my wedding has to look their best, right?" he answers as he holds a black dress up against her.

"Yeah. Is there any other reason?"

He sighs, "Maybe I just want you looking even more beautiful than you already are for Rachel?"

She blushes and says no more and just keeps following him around awkwardly while he goes through dress after dress.

After what seems like forever, one particular dress catches his eye. He quickly takes it off the rack and smiles at her and says, "Try this one on."


	30. Chapter 30

Their time in the city passes by in a blur, and before they know it, it's the day before the wedding.

They take a cab to the house on Long Island and Quinn can't help but marvel at how beautiful the place is when they arrive.

"Holy shit," she mumbles as they get their bags and walk to the front door.

"I know," Rachel agrees, nudging her forward.

They ring the doorbell and are greeted by Blaine right away.

"Hey guys! Come on in," he says as he takes their bags from them.

"It's about time you made it," Kurt remarks from the living room.

Rachel sighs, "Well, you know how traffic is at this hour."

He nods and walks over to take the bags from Blaine. "I'll get this." He turns to the two women, "Alright, I'll show you to your room."

They're led upstairs and down a long hallway to one of the guest bedrooms. Rachel finds that it isn't as big as their hotel room was, but it had a more inviting feel to it.

"Thank you," she says. "Where is everybody?"

"They'll be here tomorrow, at the wedding," he chuckles. "But my dad is on his way from the airport. And Tina, Artie, and Mercedes are flying in later today."

Rachel blinks at him. "Mercedes is coming?"

Quinn frowns and looks between the two.

He smirks, "Yes Rachel. She did RSVP after all."

She clears her throat, "I know. I just thought maybe her flight was delayed or cancelled perhaps."

"Did I miss something?" Quinn asks.

"Rachel, Mercedes, and I were all best friends in high school. Well...Rachel and Mercedes were more frenemies than anything."

Quinn quirks an eye at her girlfriend.

"We were each other's rivals in the glee club," Rachel explains. She waves a hand around, "Don't worry, I'm over it."

"Uh huh," Kurt smiles. "Well I'll let you two get some rest. My dad wants to barbecue later as a quick family, close friend kind of thing. So don't make any dinner plans!"

"We won't," Quinn assures him as he leaves the room. She closes the door and turns to her girlfriend, "Are you doing okay?"

"Yeah," Rachel yawns as she sits in the bed. "Just tired." She pats the empty spot next to her in the bed. "Lay with me?"

Quinn smiles, "Of course."

* * *

Later that day, when the barbecue is in full blast, Quinn finds herself on the back patio talking to what is probably the most random couple she's ever met.

"So what do you do, Artie?"

"I'm an independent film maker," the wheelchair-bound man answers proudly.

"Oh?" Quinn asks, not completely sure how that works. "Would I have seen your work anywhere?"

"Well," he pushes his glasses up his nose. "I just finished a documentary that's set to premiere at South by Southwest next year. This is probably the biggest gig in my career so far."

"Wow! Congratulations!"

He smiles, "Thank you."

She turns to his girlfriend, "And Tina, you said that you work in a call center?"

The Asian woman nods, "For now. It's more of something to get by while I'm in between jobs, you know?"

"Definitely. So, how long have you two been together?" Quinn asks, genuinely curious.

"We've been on and off since high school. So...a long time," Tina says, making them all laugh.

Mercedes suddenly appears in their circle and smiles politely at Quinn. "Hi, I don't think we've met. I'm Mercedes."

Quinn shakes her hand and smiles, " _The_ Mercedes? I'm Quinn."

"So it's safe to say I've been talked about?"

"Quinn is Rachel's girlfriend," Tina explains.

Mercedes rolls her eyes and shakes her head, "I'll never understand how Rachel ends up with the prettiest people."

Quinn bursts out laughing and decides right away that she likes these people. She learns that Mercedes lives in Los Angeles and is a backup vocal recording artist. She's even done work for Beyonce's latest album, which is quite impressive.

After learning more and hearing different stories from their high school days, Quinn is slightly startled when Rachel suddenly shows up at her side.

"Are you doing okay over here?" the woman asks.

"I'm great," she smiles. "Hey, did you really send a transfer student to a crack house?"

The others howl with laughter as Rachel blushes. "Not one of my finest moments."

Quinn wraps an arm around her and presses a kiss to her temple.

"Rachel, are you performing tomorrow at the reception? I think we all are. But I was just wondering if you were too," Artie asks.

She nods at him, "That's the plan. I already have a song prepared."

"What are you singing?" Mercedes eyes her.

Rachel narrows her eyes and says, "Everyone will just have to wait and see."

"Hey guys," Blaine suddenly appears. "I'm taking off with some of my buddies for sort of a bachelor party celebration. So I'll see you tomorrow!" he says excitedly. "Oh, and Rachel, my parents should be here sometime around noon to help get everything set up and ready to go."

She nods, "Great. I'll be here. I'll take care of the caterer and florist."

He smiles at her gratefully before saying goodbye to everyone once again and leaving.

They continue chatting for a while, with Quinn learning even more ridiculous things about her girlfriend. Like the crazy cat calendars she kept in her locker. And her personal favorite, how Rachel accidentally broke the leg of a high school stalker named Jacob Ben Israel when she screamed after seeing him on a tree outside of her window one night.

Quinn knows she wasn't there for all of these little stories, but they definitely help paint a picture of what Rachel was like back then.

Kurt later joins them and talks in a hushed tone, "Hey. My dad keeps insisting on staying at the hotel, so it looks like we have the whole place to ourselves tonight. Meet in the kitchen in ten minutes after he leaves."

"For what?" Artie asks.

He rolls his eyes, "You think I'm gonna let Blaine have a bachelor party without having my own final blowout? There are bottles of liquor in there that I plan on having us all drink. Got it?"

Everyone nods because it makes sense.

"Ten minutes!"

* * *

What seems like hours later, everyone is sitting around in the living room and Quinn is exhausted. Everyone is drunk except for her and Artie. And she was ready for Rachel to crash so she could finally go to sleep, but the woman was still drinking with the others.

While Mercedes and Rachel get into a heated debate about the greatest Broadway production of all time, Artie yells at Quinn over the loud music, "How did you and Rachel meet, by the way?"

She blows out a puff of air and shouts back, "It's a _long_ story."

Rachel hears Quinn and fumbles for the remote to turn down the music. "What's a long story?" she asks.

"I was just asking how you two met," Artie explains.

Rachel snorts out loud and buries her face in Quinn's shoulder. The blonde was becoming a little paranoid that her girlfriend didn't have much control of her filter right now.

"Yeah, how did you meet?" Mercedes asks.

"I was wondering too," Tina chimes in.

Quinn takes a deep breath, ready to make up the most believable story she can while on the spot, but is stopped when Rachel interrupts.

"I'll tell them the story," she says.

"Rachel," Quinn frowns.

"Quinn, I got this!" she slurs while lightly rubbing the girl's leg.

Kurt leans forward in his seat with a smirk and mutters, "This should be good."

Rachel clears her throat, "So one night, about a year ago, Quinn was at Breadstix when I was waitressing one night."

Quinn smiles and thinks that maybe Rachel has her thoughts together after all.

"Oh, I love Breadstix!" Tina says.

"Hold up, you're a waitress?" Mercedes asks.

Rachel rolls her eyes, "I used to be. Can I get back to the story now?"

Mercedes makes a gesture with her hand, telling her to go ahead.

"Anyway." She locks eyes with Quinn and they both smile at each other. "Quinn was at Breadstix on a date...with a very attractive model."

Quinn's smile instantly drops.

"So when you say model..." Artie starts, a little too eagerly.

"Not all that important," Quinn waves off quickly. She looks at Rachel with a questioning gaze.

"As I was saying, I was their waitress that night. But as soon as I saw Quinn, there was just this instant connection between us! I knew I had to make her mine, with or without this other bimbo in the picture."

Quinn internally cringes and clasps her hands together as her girlfriend keeps going.

"But then, a little while later, I hear someone coughing and look over to see Quinn choking on a bread stick."

Her mouth drops open at the new twist in Rachel's story.

"Of course her idiot date was no help, and just ran around the restaurant, screaming her head off, while poor Quinn passed out on the floor."

Rachel pouts and rubs her back for additional effect. Quinn gapes at her and looks around at everyone else. Kurt was laughing with his face in a pillow, and the other three were really into the story, listening intently.

"And then something came over me. I couldn't just let this beautiful stranger die! So I demanded another waiter to call 911, and then I rushed over to Quinn and started performing CPR on her."

Quinn is pretty sure her face was beet red at the moment, but no one seems to notice. She'll forever be known as Breadstick Girl to these people.

"After a few minutes, she finally started breathing again and opened her eyes. And before we could say anything to each other, the paramedics showed up and took her to the hospital."

"Then what happened?" Tina asks worriedly.

"What do you think? I got in a car and rushed to the hospital, running red lights and dodging traffic as best as I could. I just had to make sure she was okay!" she cries out dramatically.

Quinn is pretty sure she hears Kurt laughing hysterically under the pillow now.

"I get to the hospital, and then I find Quinn's room just as the doctor's leaving. I beg him to let me in to see her, and he does! And when Quinn sees me come in," Rachel holds a hand out in the air, "she says, 'You're the one that saved me'. And I said yes, yes I am. And she took my hand and -"

"And then," Quinn interrupts, not wanting this story to get even more ridiculous than it already was. She turns to Rachel and says softly, "And then I asked her what her name was."

The woman stares back at her lovingly. "And I said that it was Rachel."

"So then I said, 'I know there's no way I can ever repay you for...saving my life. But can I start by taking you out?'" She clears her throat and holds up their conjoined hands. "And the rest is history."

"That is so sweet," Tina gushes.

Mercedes nods in agreement before frowning at Kurt, "Are you okay?"

There are tears in his eyes from laughing so hard. He quickly wipes them and fakes a sniffle. "I'm fine. That story gets me every time," he subtly smirks at Rachel.

"I'm glad that you're still together," Tina smiles at them.

Artie leans over to Quinn and whispers, "So this model girl is single now, right?"

The doorbell rings before she has to answer and she sighs in relief. But the mischievous glance between Tina and Mercedes doesn't go unnoticed by her.

"I'll get it!" Tina yells as she runs to the door while Mercedes disappears into the kitchen.

Quinn takes the opportunity to lean into her girlfriend's ear and whisper, "Nice story."

"You think so?" Rachel beams.

She laughs and shakes her head, "You had me choking on a bread stick! Maybe you should be the writer because I'm clearly out of my depth."

"Don't spout such nonsense," Rachel mumbles as she grabs the bottle of tequila in front of them as well as two shot glasses. She expertly fills them both up. "Here, do a shot with me!"

"I think I'm done for the night," Quinn declines.

"More for me," the woman shrugs and downs both shots at once.

She laughs out loud and leans her head onto Quinn's shoulder, but the blonde immediately sits up when Tina comes back into the room with a man wearing a really tacky police uniform.

"Kurt, a policeman is here!" Tina cries out with a smile on her face. Mercedes comes back with a chair in tow and places it in the middle of the living room.

Kurt, however, is too drunk to realize that it's all just an act. "What! What's going on?" he panics and stands up.

The "officer" smirks and takes off his aviators. "Sit down," he demands.

Mercedes pushes Kurt to sit in the chair that she had brought over.

Quinn stifles a laugh at the scene before her and how contrived the whole thing is. Rachel leans over and cackles, "Quinn, there's a police officer here."

"I know, baby."

"And you're underage!"

"Shh!" Quinn hushes her, afraid that the _actual_ cops are going to be called.

"Why, what's the matter officer?" Tina asks with a grin. "Were we being too loud?" She even throws in a wink for good measure.

"I'm here," he grabs the remote to turn the music up, "because you're not being loud enough!"

His outfit is suddenly ripped off, leaving him in nothing but his boots and a blue speedo. When he starts dancing and grinding against Kurt's lap, the groom to be smiles at everyone, "You guys got a stripper?"

"You're getting married. Of course we did!" Mercedes answers as she, Tina, and Rachel cheer him on. "Get it, Kurt!"

Quinn doesn't know how to react and locks eyes with Artie. "Want to go get a drink?" she asks.

The man nods and proceeds to wheel himself away into the kitchen. She follows and fills a cup with ice to hand to him.

"It was getting a little intense out there," he says as he pours more liquor into his cup."

Quinn nods in agreement as she takes a chug from her own cup, "I'm not nearly drunk enough for this."

Artie shakes his head and sips his drink. After a moment, he says, "You're a lot younger than Rachel."

She nods, "Yeah. Like twelve years or something."

"That's cool. I dated a younger girl once when me and Tina were broken up. But she was too immature and always blew me off to go out to college parties with her friends. She also forced me to make an Instagram account."

"I don't have Instagram," Quinn laughs.

"But you seem a lot more mature for your age."

"Thank you?"

Kurt bursts into the kitchen and heads right for the fridge.

"Hey Kurt," Artie says. "You guys having fun out there?"

He completely ignores them and comes out with a bottle of champagne, a can of whipped cream, and a determined look in his eyes. He then wordlessly darts back into the living room.

Quinn frowns, "We should probably get back out there."

They come back out to see the stripper dancing in the middle of everyone else to some awful hip-hop song. Rachel spots her girlfriend and immediately runs over.

"Quinn! Can I give the stripper a dollar? Everyone else did," she asks, completely out of breath. She then takes Quinn's drink and starts chugging it.

"Yeah," Quinn chuckles. "I think I actually have a dollar." She reaches into her front pocket and pulls out a dollar bill. The woman takes it with a smile before rushing back over to everyone else.

She tries a couple times to stick it in the waistband, but his hips won't stop moving. She eventually gets it in and cheers for herself, and hesitantly smacks his behind before getting back to dancing.

Quinn laughs at her girlfriend and all of her adorableness. She's happy that she finally has a chance to let loose since their lives have been so busy lately.

Her thoughts are interrupted when Artie nudges her. "This place is completely trashed," he says as he looks around. "We should probably start cleaning."

She sighs and looks around at all of the cups and bottles littered on the floor as well as the scattered furniture. She then goes to the kitchen and returns with a couple of trash bags and hands one to Artie.

After about twenty minutes of collecting all the trash, Quinn frowns as she looks at the dancing group.

She walks over to Tina and asks, "Where's Rachel?"

"I don't know," Tina laughs and stumbles over. "I think she went that way," she points to the other side of the house.

Quinn rolls her eyes and says, "Thanks."

She goes down the hall and rounds the corner to go upstairs, but stops when she sees her girlfriend sitting in the middle of the flight of stairs, hunched over.

"Rach, you okay?" she asks as she climbs the stairs to sit next to her.

"Quinn!" she looks up and it's then that Quinn can see she's been crying.

She wraps an arm around her shoulder and says, "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"I -" Rachel sobs. "I did something bad."

She furrows her brow. "Something bad?"

"Uh huh," the woman hiccups. "I slapped the stripper's ass."

She bites the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing and clears her throat, "Really?"

"Yes!" Rachel cries. "I'm so sorry! Please don't be mad at me!"

"Baby," she chuckles. "It's okay. I even saw you do it."

"You saw it?" Rachel looks beyond devastated.

"Hey, calm down. I'm not mad."

"You're not?" Rachel was now sporting a look of confusion.

"Not even a little bit." Quinn says as she kisses her cheek.

Rachel thinks to herself for a moment, then smiles at Quinn. "I love you so much."

She leans over for a sloppy kiss, but Quinn pulls back and laughs, "You are so gone right now, you know that?"

"But I love you!" Rachel hiccups. She then smirks, "You know, you can spank _me_ anytime you want."

Quinn blushes and purses her lips, "I wouldn't be surprised at all if you were into it."

She gasps when Rachel suddenly kisses her again. Only this time, she actually lands on her mouth and deepens the kiss.

"Quinn," she moans. "Touch me."

"Rach," Quinn says cautiously as she pulls back.

"Can we go upstairs?" Rachel asks eagerly. "I really, _really_ need you right now."

"Baby, you know we can't do that when you're this wasted."

"Why?" Rachel whines. "Why do you have to be so...morallyistic all the time?"

Quinn smiles, "Morallyistic?"

"Whatever," the woman hiccups again. She starts unbuttoning her own blouse but is quickly stopped when Quinn stills her hands. "Can you just fuck me already?"

"Um, guys?" A red-faced Artie wheels around the corner and looks up at them. "Sorry to interrupt, Quinn. But the stripper's underwear came off and I'm not exactly..." he gestures down at his wheelchair, "equipped to do anything about it."

Quinn runs a hand through her hair and stands up. "Rachel, stay here. I'll be right back."

"What? No! I wanna go with you!"

She attempts to stand up and catch Quinn by the waist, but misses and falls forward, sending them both tumbling down the stairs. Artie is able to wheel himself backwards just enough to narrowly avoid them as they crash into a heap at the base.

"Ow..." Quinn groans as she lies there for a moment.

"You guys okay?" Artie asks.

She holds a thumb up in the air, "I'm okay."

She quickly turns over and tends to her girlfriend, who was lying in top of her for a moment.

"Rach? Are you all right?" she asks as she gently rolls her onto her back.

"Ugh, yeah," Rachel moans before she looks up at Quinn. "I think I landed on you."

"I think you did too." She turns to Artie and sighs, "Shit, naked stripper. Right. Can you watch her for a minute?"

Before he has a chance to respond, she takes off down the hallway and yells, "Kurt! You put that whipped cream down right now!"

* * *

Quinn stirs awake at the sound of the doorbell ringing. She slowly opens her eyes and lifts her head up to look around the bright room.

She had fallen asleep on one of the couches, and it looks like Mercedes fell asleep on the other couch. Tina was lying face down on the floor and next to her was Artie, who was asleep in his wheelchair with a neck pillow. And on the coffee table was a shirtless Kurt, covered in...chocolate syrup?

She shifts and feels a weight on her back, which also happened to be snoring. She smiles and looks back over her shoulder to see that Rachel was splayed out on top of her, again.

The doorbell rings a second time, reminding her that she needs to get up. She shifts out from underneath Rachel and carefully pads over to the front door.

When she opens it, a small, cheerful woman beams up at her, "Hello! I'm the florist here to set up for the wedding!"

She glances behind the woman to see a small crew already unloading several bouquets of flowers from a van.

"Is it okay if we start setting up? There's a lot to do," the woman asks with a more insistent tone.

Quinn clears her throat and smiles, "Of course. You can go ahead around back and get started. I'll let the wedding planner know you're here."

"Excellent! Thank you." The woman turns on her heel and heads for the van.

Quinn promptly shuts the door and runs into the kitchen to get a bottle of water, then dashes back to the living room to get to Rachel, nearly tripping over Tina in the process.

"Hey baby, wake up," she shakes her girlfriend.

Rachel groans and rolls over onto her back, looking up at Quinn.

She hands her the bottle of water. "Time to wake up."

"Ugh," Rachel rubs her eyes. "I feel like I got hit by a truck."

Quinn chuckles, "What's the last thing you remember?"

"I don't know. I think I remember you choking on a piece of bread." Her eyes widen and she immediately sits up. "Oh my god, Quinn. Are you okay?"

She blinks at her. "I'm fine."

Rachel nods and looks at all of her friends passed out around them. "What the hell happened?" When all Quinn does is smirk at her, she reaches behind to rub her lower back. "Why am I so stiff?"

"Probably because you fell down the stairs."

"I fell down the stairs?"

" _We_ fell down the stairs. Well, more like you were trying to seduce me on the stairs and ended up knocking us both over."

"Fuck," Rachel mutters as she massages her own forehead. "I'm so sorry, baby."

"It's okay. I was more concerned about the naked stripper that was about to defile Kurt."

"There was a stripper?" the woman sputters.

"Yes," Quinn answers. "Okay Rach, I'll tell you all about it later. But right now you really need to get up because the florist is already here."

"Shit! What time is it?"

"Past eleven."

"Fuck." Rachel stands up and quickly pulls her hair into a messy bun. "Blaine's parents are going to be here soon. Quinn, I need to start getting everything ready. Can you wake everyone up?" She looks at Kurt and wrinkles her nose, "And can you _please_ make Kurt take a shower as soon as he's up?"

"Of course," she smiles.

Rachel nods and starts jogging over to the back of the house, but stops midway and turns back around. She throws her arms around the blonde's neck and pulls her down for a kiss. "I love you, by the way. And thank you for…taking care of us last night."

Quinn laughs. "It's no problem. I love you too."

The woman beams and says, "Okay, now let's get going. We have a long day ahead of us!"


	31. Chapter 31

"What the hell do you mean there might not be enough halibut? We sent you the guest count weeks ago!"

Kurt frowns as he makes his way into the kitchen to see Rachel yelling at one of the cooks for the caterer. As the poor guy stammers apologies, Kurt decides to step in. He lightly touches his best friend's shoulder, "Hey Rach, I'll take it from here."

"Do you have any solutions?" she asks the cook, completely ignoring Kurt.

He rolls his eyes and sighs in relief when Quinn shows up in the kitchen. "What's going on?" she asks.

He does a double take at the girl and smiles, "Your hair and makeup look perfect."

"Thanks," she blushes. "I just need to get dressed," she gestures to the robe that was wrapped around her.

She cringes when she hears Rachel shout, "You know what, just go get me your boss!"

Kurt leans into Quinn's side as they watch the scene and murmurs, "I'm trying to make her go get ready. But she won't let up. Can't say it's not entertaining. I've heard several cooks refer to her as...pinche loca." He lets out a snicker.

Quinn grimaces and walks over to her girlfriend. "Hey baby, just let Kurt deal with this. You need to get ready."

"I'll be upstairs in a second," Rachel waves her off.

The blonde huffs and lifts the woman up and begins to walk away.

"Quinn!" Rachel shrieks. "Alright! I'll go get ready!"

She smiles in triumph and lets her down.

When they get upstairs to their room, Rachel promptly sheds her clothes and gives Quinn a brief kiss. "I'm just going to jump in the shower really quick."

When Quinn nods, Rachel bounds over to the bathroom and hops in the shower. She's finished within five minutes and gets to blow drying her hair.

After she's done with that, she comes out to see Quinn still in a robe while reading a book on the bed.

"You need to hurry and get dressed!" she says as she takes her own dress out of the closet.

Quinn chuckles, "Aren't you the bossy pants today."

Rachel sticks her tongue out at her and disappears back into the bathroom.

After taking more time to do her makeup and curl her hair to her liking, she opens the door to leave, only to be floored by the sight in front of her.

Quinn was wearing a simple black, strapless dress that seemed to hug her curves in all the right places. And Rachel finds herself gazing at her breasts for a moment.

"Kurt picked it out," Quinn smirks as she sweeps her hair off of one shoulder. "He said that I had to look perfect for you tonight."

Rachel rolls her eyes. Of course he did. She steps closer to the blonde and says, "You look gorgeous."

She starts placing slow kisses on the column of her throat, but stops when Quinn sighs, "You should probably get dressed. We have to be downstairs in ten minutes."

Rachel groans and takes a step back. "Fine. But you're all mine later."

"Of course," Quinn smiles.

When Rachel goes back to the bathroom, she closes the door and locks it. She opens her purse on the counter and pulls out the little black box. She then takes the ring out and carefully places in the clutch that she'll be carrying all evening.

She stares at herself in the mirror for a moment, then nods at herself and whispers, "She's going to say yes. You can do this."

* * *

Later, at the ceremony, Blaine walks down the aisle first with his mother. And then Kurt with his father. They had opted out of having bridesmaids and groomsmen, since it probably would've been confusing for the guests. But luckily, Quinn and Rachel still had a good spot near the front so that they could see and hear everything perfectly.

As the two men recite their vows and proceed to exchange rings, Quinn takes Rachel's hand into her own. The woman smiles softly and leans into her side. It was late enough to where the sun was setting directly behind them. Somehow, she knows she'll never forget how she feels right now in this moment.

When the ceremony ends and Blaine and Kurt share their first kiss as a married couple, everyone is on their feet applauding them.

"That was beautiful," Rachel says to Quinn as she hugs her by the waist.

Instead of agreeing, the girl simply says, "I love you," and places a kiss on her cheek.

* * *

The reception was in full swing in the backyard setup. And even though the wedding singer is a little pitchy here and there, Rachel thinks that everything is going great.

The catering situation was fixed, somehow, and all of the guests had enjoyed their food. And many people were even making use of the dance floor.

Rachel found herself sitting at the table with her high school friends and Quinn. Artie was sharing stories about the stripper from the night before, much to her horror.

"It was insane. I didn't know someone could hold a man Kurt's size upside down like that."

Her mouth is hanging open and she looks at Quinn, who nods with a cringe at the memory. "It took a while. But I was finally able to get the guy to leave."

"I don't even remember us even calling to have a stripper sent over," Tina groans.

Mercedes clears her throat, "Well then, how about we all keep last night between us? Like forever?"

Everyone quickly nods in agreement and awkwardly sips at their wine.

Kurt runs over to their table and beams, "Hey guys! Sorry to interrupt, but Tina and Artie are performing after this song."

The couple nods and leave the table to go get ready on the small stage. Rachel sighs in relief, "Thank god. This singer was starting to get on my nerves."

Kurt frowns, "You're the one that picked him after the auditions."

"Whatever," she says. "He won't be hired for the next wedding."

Kurt glances between the two girls with a knowing smirk, causing confusion for Quinn. Rachel catches it and quickly says, "Go dance with your husband or something. Their song is starting."

"Sure thing," he winks at them before scurrying off to the dance floor.

Soon, Artie's voice begins to fill the backyard.

_"Do you hear me?_

_I'm talking to you,_

_Across the water,_

_Across the deep blue ocean under the open sky,_

_Oh my, baby I'm trying…"_

Rachel smiles. "Would you like to dance?" she asks Quinn.

The blonde stands and takes her hand. "I'd love to."

They make their way to an empty space on the dance floor and begin to softly sway to the music. Rachel rests her head on Quinn's shoulder and sighs.

"It's been quite an eventful week," she says.

"Mhmm," Quinn hums in agreement. "But I've been having a great time."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

They continue to sway together for a moment before Rachel asks, "What do you think about the wedding?"

"It's beautiful. You did an amazing job."

She blushes, "Thank you."

"Maybe party planning is your calling," Quinn jokes.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Rachel laughs.

Quinn smiles and tilts her chin up for a chaste kiss. "I can't believe it's already been a year for us."

The brunette lifts an eyebrow, "Is that good or bad?"

"Good! It's been an amazing year. For the most part."

Rachel can detect the sadness in her voice as she says it. She pulls her in closer and says, "I'm sorry for all the hurt that you had to go through because of me. I would honestly do anything to take all of that back."

"Rachel," Quinn stops her. "Please don't feel guilty anymore. You were worth it to me."

She doesn't say anything else and just allows Quinn to hold her. To this day, she's still amazed that Quinn loves her and chooses to be with her. But she knows that she shouldn't doubt it anymore. And from now on, she won't.

* * *

About half an hour and another glass of wine later, Rachel leans against the open bar and watches Quinn as she dances with Artie. Mercedes was singing _Shout!_ , and it looks like everyone was having fun dancing to it.

Quinn is having a blast, if the joy on her face is anything to go by. Rachel's never noticed how good of a dancer she was. And she really shouldn't be surprised since the girl was a cheerleader for the longest time.

But still, watching her move like that was making Rachel's body heat up rapidly. All she could think about was bending over and having Quinn ram her cock up her –

"Rachel?"

"What!" she yells, feeling flustered.

Tina jumps and just stares at her.

Rachel clears her throat, "Sorry. What's going on, Tina?"

"I'm just reminding you that you're up next to sing."

"What?" she freaks out. "Already?"

The Asian girl nods, still a little skittish around the woman.

"Hold this." She hands her the nearly empty glass of wine and runs to the stage.

Mercedes is just finishing her song when Rachel makes it there. She hurriedly whispers to the guitarist to play what they had discussed earlier, and he gives her a nod.

With a deep breath, she makes her way over to the microphone and smiles at the crowd.

"First of all, I want to say congratulations to Kurt and Blaine! You are two of the greatest men that I've ever met. And I'm so glad that you found each other."

Everyone applauds in agreement with her. She then locks eyes with Quinn and smiles. "And while I'm completely over the moon for you guys, I would also like to dedicate this song to Quinn. So…this is for you."

The guitar begins to strum and the curious blonde immediately recognizes the tune. She moves closer to the stage to stare at Rachel.

_"And I'd give up forever to touch you,_

_Cause I know that you feel me somehow,_

_You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be,_

_And I don't wanna go home right now."_

The woman beams down at her love as she sings.

_"And all I can taste is this moment,_

_And all I can breathe is your light,_

_When sooner or later it's over,_

_I just don't wanna miss you tonight."_

As she continues the song, memories from the past year make their way to the forefront of her mind.

Quinn's graduation. Their first kiss. Their first time...making love. Their time together during Christmas and New Years. And even finding their new apartment just a few days before.

And not just the milestones, but the little moments meant just as much to Rachel. She loves coming home to see Quinn reading a new book. And the kisses that she gets when the blonde needs a study break. And the safety and comfort she feels when Quinn is asleep next to her.

There was no doubt in her mind that she found the person she truly wants to be with for the rest of her life.

_"And I don't want the world to see me,_

_Cause I don't think that they'd understand,_

_When everything's made to be broken,_

_I just want you to know who I am."_

She continues to gaze at Quinn and only Quinn.

_"I just want you to know who I am."_

The song slowly fades out and everyone stops dancing in order to give her a round of applause. She grins at the audience and turns to see Quinn right in front of the stage.

She walks to the edge of it and allows the girl to help her down. She then laughs when Quinn immediately pulls her into a searing kiss.

When the wedding singer resumes the music, she pulls back and looks up into hazel eyes.

"Walk with me?" she asks as she swings their hands between them.

Quinn furrows her brow, but still allows Rachel to lead her away.

They end up going further into the massive backyard where one of the fountains was. Where they were completely alone. Rachel takes a seat on the edge and pulls Quinn to sit down with her. The blonde wraps an arm around her shoulders and leans closer.

"The weather is perfect tonight," Quinn comments. She knows that there's something in the air between them right now. She's just not sure what it is.

"It is," Rachel agrees. She suddenly sits up and turns to face Quinn, breathing deeply.

"Are you okay?" Quinn frowns. "You're shaking. What's wrong?"

"I'm fine," Rachel answers quickly. "I'm just really nervous."

"Baby, what's going on? You can talk to me."

The brunette closes her eyes with a smile and shakes her head. "Nothing's wrong. I just need to ask you something."

Quinn stares at her, "Okay?"

Rachel takes one last moment to gather her thoughts. She blows out a puff of air. Here goes nothing.

"I'm the kind of person that rarely gets things right the first time around. I'm sure you know this." When the blonde doesn't say anything, she continues, "I've never really been sure about anything in my life. Except for one thing. You."

Quinn smiles softly at her and brings a hand up to graze her fingertips along her girlfriend's jaw.

Rachel sighs and leans into the touch. "Before you happened, I was just this empty shell of a woman. I had no fight left in me. But I'm not that girl anymore, and a lot of that is because of you. You change me and help me grow into a better person, Quinn."

She smiles to herself, because it's true.

"I don't know where I'm going to be ten, or even fifty years from now. I just know that I want you to be there. Maybe we won't have the support of everyone. But the only support I'll ever need is yours. And...I want to give myself to you. Completely."

Suddenly realizes where this is going, Quinn's eyes widen and her hand drops into her lap.

The look of surprise on the girl's face makes Rachel even more nervous. But she still keeps going.

She reaches behind her for the clutch and zips it open, then reaches in to pull the ring out and hold it in front of Quinn.

"I know this might be crazy. And if you say no or that it's too soon, I'll understand. But will you please make me the happiest person alive and marry me?"

Quinn stares down at the ring before her. And after what seems like minutes of silence, Rachel begins to panic on the inside.

Of course it's too soon. Was she really crazy enough to think that Quinn would actually –

"Yes."

She snaps out of her inner-monologue and tries to hold back a smile. "Yes?"

Quinn grins back at her, "Yes, I will marry you."

With tears in her eyes, Rachel takes the blonde's hand and carefully slips the ring on her finger. "Thank god it fits," she laughs.

She then grabs Quinn's face and kisses her. "I love you."

Quinn pulls back and chuckles, "I love you too."

After a few more minutes of kissing and holding each other, they hear someone shout, "Hey! No sex on the fountain."

They both look up and laugh when they see Kurt and Blaine walking toward them from across the yard.

Rachel happily pulls Quinn up and goes to meet them halfway.

She wraps her arms around the girl's waist from behind and beams at them.

"You two seem rather happy," Kurt remarks as Blaine nods in agreement.

Instead of answering, Quinn lifts her hand up to show them the ring on her finger.

Kurt gasps and looks at Rachel, "She said yes?"

Rachel rolls her eyes at the dumb question and nods anyway, "She said yes."

The man nudges his husband in the side and says, "I knew she would."

"We both knew," Blaine says before smiling at them. "Congratulations."

"Thank you," Quinn and Rachel both say in unison.

Before either can process what's happening, Kurt takes ahold of Quinn's hand and says, "We have a bet to settle," before tugging her away and back to the reception area.

Rachel frowns at Blaine, "Bet?"

When he gives her an equally confused look, she takes off to chase after them.

They make it back to the table where their friends are. Kurt holds the blonde's hand up and triumphantly shouts, "She said yes!"

As a wave of smiles and "congratulations" pours out, Quinn begins to blush while Rachel fumes.

"You were waging on my proposal?" she asks in disbelief.

Mercedes simply shrugs and reaches into her purse to hand over a couple bills to Tina while Artie hands over his money to Kurt.

"And some of you were betting that she would say no?" she shrieks.

"In my defense," Artie says, "it wouldn't have been too much of a stretch after all of your crazy from last night."

"Whatever," she huffs and turns her head away.

"You definitely needs to send us an invite. Whenever you decide on a date," Tina smiles.

"Of course we will," Quinn answers. She personally has no idea when this will happen. But they can always talk about that later.

"Once again, congratulations you two," Kurt pats them both on the shoulder. "I'm really happy for you, but Blaine and I are about to leave for our hotel."

Rachel frowns, "But you haven't had your last dance yet."

"We did while you were off getting engaged since you're such a thunder stealer," he winks.

She winces, "Sorry we missed it."

"Don't worry about it. A lot of the guests are leaving, so we're going to make our rounds to say bye and then take off. Blaine's parents are going to take care of wrapping everything up, so you don't need to worry about anything."

"Are you sure?"

"Completely. I'm sure you want some time with Quinn," he whispers with a smirk. "But anyway, I'll see you in Lima after the honeymoon!"

After he disappears with Blaine, she turns her attention back to the table.

"So this has been quite an interesting reunion," Mercedes says while everyone nods in agreement. She stands up with her purse and says, "I better get going. I have an early flight tomorrow, so I booked a hotel by the airport." She hugs all of her friends and then Quinn. She smiles at the blonde, "It was nice meeting you."

"You too," Quinn replies.

Tina gets up and helps Artie back up his wheelchair. "We're going to bed too. It's been a long day."

After saying their good nights, Rachel turns to Quinn and pulls her into another tight hug.

Quinn suddenly gasps, "I have to call my dad. And Santana!"

"Of course," Rachel pulls back. "Take your time. I'll be in the room."

"I'll try to hurry," the blonde offers.

"No really, Quinn," she says, "Take your time."

* * *

Rachel bursts into the room with a few candles that she grabbed from downstairs. She quickly places them strategically around the room and curses when she realizes she doesn't have a lighter. She rummages through the bathroom and smiles in victory when she finds one in a drawer.

After lighting the candles and turning off the light, she's satisfied with the atmosphere and kicks off her shoes and opens her suitcase on the floor to put on some sexier lingerie that she bought in the city.

She changes as quickly as she can and goes back into the bathroom. She reapplies a little makeup and makes sure that her hair still looks perfect. Then she spritzes a little perfume on her neck and rubs lotion all over her arms and legs.

Just as she's finishing up the second leg, she hears the bedroom door and Quinn call out, "Rachel?"

She smiles and turns off the bathroom light before opening the door. She sees Quinn taking off her own shoes while sitting on the bed and seductively says, "Hey you."

Quinn looks up and whispers, "Oh wow."

She stands as Rachel saunters over. Her dress is then carefully peeled off by the woman so that they're equally undressed.

"I love this on you," Rachel says as she grazes her fingertips over the blonde's left hand.

"I love you," Quinn answers.

They smile at each other and rest their foreheads together.

"Quinn…"

The girl cups her face and pushes their lips together. Knowing that Rachel is going to be her _wife_ makes her want this even more.

She moves down and lays a few open mouthed kisses on Rachel's neck, smirking when she feels expert fingers ghosting over her sides and playing with the waistband of her tight boxers.

She begins to nudge the woman backwards towards the bed, then carefully lays her down on top of it.

They lay side by side and continue to gaze at one another.

"Take everything off," Rachel says, tugging at the blonde's strapless bra. "I want to see you."

"You see me all the time," Quinn laughs, but still obeys the request.

"I know." She runs a hand over her abdomen. "But I will never get enough of it."

Before, Quinn would have been extremely uncomfortable with being freely exposed to anyone like this. But she never will be again with Rachel.

And of course, her member is fully hard, like always. And it doesn't go unnoticed by the woman.

Rachel pushes her onto her back and straddles her hips. She then lowers her head and takes a nipple into her mouth.

"God, baby!" Quinn cries out as she arches into her.

As Rachel continues to assault her chest, she rotates her hips to grind their centers together. And the friction was doing wonderful things to her clit.

After enough teasing and being ready to go, Quinn pushes Rachel up by the shoulders and essentially rips her bra off. She then rolls them back over and pounces.

"These are lovely, but they need to come off," she says as she hurriedly tugs the woman's panties off her hips.

Rachel smirks and allows her. She decides to slow things down a bit and cups Quinn's cheek as the blonde settles between her legs.

"I love you, Quinn. And I'm so glad that you're mine," she says softly.

"I'll always be yours. Especially now that I'm going to marry you." Quinn says before she connects their lips again.

After a few more minutes of their tongues exploring each other, Rachel knows they can't wait any longer and pulls back to say, "I want you to make love to me like I'm already your wife."

Quinn swallows and feels herself become impossibly harder at the thought. She reaches between them and gives her shaft a couple of strokes before lining up with Rachel's waiting entrance.

They both moan as she pushes in all the way in one thrust. She wastes no time and continues to pump in and out in a steady rhythm. She even angles her hips to hit the spot that drives Rachel crazy.

"Quinn!" the woman cries as she loses all sense of reality.

The blonde sucks on her neck as she continues to fuck the beautiful woman. This beautiful, _amazing_ woman.

Wanting to make this as pleasurable for Rachel as possible, she stops thrusting and pulls out almost all the way.

Before Rachel can complain, Quinn takes hold of her hips and turns her over. Rachel immediately positions herself on all fours and cries out when Quinn enters her again.

"Oh god," she whimpers as she moves her own body to meet all of Quinn's thrusts.

The blonde presses her entire front to her backside and lightly bites her shoulder, increasing their pace when she feels her release fast approaching.

Rachel looks down to see the ring on Quinn's hand staring up at her, and laces their fingers together. This is her forever.

"Quinn!" she cries when her orgasm takes over while the girl's warm cum fills up her cavern. She can feel Quinn everywhere, not just through her body, but through her entire being. A connection that she's never felt before. And it's so damn beautiful.

When Quinn feels she's released everything she has into the woman, she stops moving and slumps down on top of her. When she can use her voice again, she breathes into Rachel's ear, "Just give me a minute. I'm not done with you yet."

"I'd hope not," Rachel chuckles as she brings her hand up to press a kiss to her knuckles. "You're off to a good start."

Quinn smiles and rolls off of her and onto her side. Rachel scoots over and allows Quinn to spoon her.

She turns her head up and their lips meet in another kiss. "I know we've only been engaged for like an hour. But I can't wait to marry you," she smiles.

"Me either," Quinn laughs. "If you really can't wait, we can always fly to Vegas tomorrow and elope."

"Don't tempt me," Rachel teases. "But no, you deserve a better wedding than that."

Quinn presses a kiss to her shoulder. "What if my dream was always to have a fat Elvis impersonator officiate at my wedding?"

The woman huffs with a smile, "Fine Quinn."

"I'm just kidding, Rach. We'll figure it out later. Because right now," she reaches down to bend Rachel's knee up. "I think it's time for the next round."

She pushes her cock inside without warning and smirks at the woman's guttural moan with the new angle. Rachel reaches back to tangle a hand in blonde hair just to have something to grab onto.

"Yes! Right there. Don't stop, baby."

"I won't my love."

Quinn continues making love to her fiancée as she whispers declarations of love and adoration into her ear all night long. This is her forever.


	32. Chapter 32

"Rachel, do you want me to take these boxes to the garage?" Quinn asks her busy fiancée as the woman sorts through her closet.

"That'd be great. Thank you," Rachel smiles at her.

Quinn carries a few heavy boxes to the garage to get out of the way until moving day, which was less than a week away.

They could hardly believe how fast the rest of the summer went. After returning from New York, everything went by in a blur. And now, they were about to go back. Only this time to stay.

After a tedious process of contacting the corporate office several times in the past couple months, Rachel was able to get approval for a transfer to the store at Times Square. And with Kurt's glowing recommendations, she also secured a promotion to assistant manager. It's not like this has always been her dream career, but at least it was something to do until she figured things out.

And with the amount she was getting from selling the house, they would be set for a little while in New York. Not forever. But at least a little while. And Quinn was set on searching for any kind of decent paying job as soon as they got settled in.

As far as setting a date for their impending nuptials...Quinn had suggested that they wait until they were more secure in their life in New York. Rachel had reluctantly agreed, but also figured that there was no need to rush as they were already committed to each other.

After Quinn settles the last box in the corner of the garage, she decides to pull her phone out of her pocket and check her messages. She sees one from Russell saying that he left the house key under the mat for her and that she was welcome to get any of her stuff that she needed since no one was going to be there that night.

She glances at the time to see that it's already later in the evening, which means that her parents were likely already at work. She sends a quick reply that she was going over now.

Another thing Quinn was glad for was the time she was able to spend with her father before leaving. They went to lunch a few times a week with just the two of them. Russell was completely surprised the night she called him to inform him about the engagement. But he still congratulated her and has been supportive ever since. He even keeps telling Quinn that he still wants to be apart of it, which she's incredibly grateful for.

She still treads carefully when talking about Judy with him. It's been six months, and they still haven't spoken. Russell keeps telling her that she just needs more time. But at this point, Quinn was losing all hope of a reconciliation. And while she knows that she made her choice, it still kills her on the inside.

Setting her thoughts aside, Quinn returns to Rachel in the bedroom and says, "My dad said I could pick up some stuff from my old room. Will you be okay by yourself for a little while?"

Rachel frowns and stops what she's doing. "Are you fine with going by yourself? I know you haven't been back there since..." she trails off.

Quinn nods, "It'll be fine. There's no one home anyways."

"Okay." Rachel stands up and pecks her lips. "I'll probably still be right here when you get back. This closet's a mess," she laughs.

Quinn smiles before leaning in for another kiss. She then grabs an empty box and hurries over to her old house.

The key is under the mat, just like her father promised. And she feels strange as she steps inside for the first time in months. Looking around inside, everything looks the same as it was when she left.

And even stranger, when she gets to her room, she sees that it's been completely untouched since the day she left. She furrows her brow as she observes the room. She had figured that most of her stuff would have been thrown out by now.

Quinn sighs and tosses the box on the bed. She then goes through her old desk to find anything that's worth taking with her. She finds a lot of pictures throughout her high school years. Mainly of her good friends, like Santana and Puck, who was still a little peeved at her for keeping him out of the loop on everything for so long. But at least he was being supportive.

She also packs away pictures of other friends that she misses, which include Brittany, Sam, and Mike. There's also some of her cheerleading squad that she takes as well.

After going through her desk, she opens her closet and starts sorting through her clothes. While in the middle of her task, she never heard someone come into the house.

"Quinn."

"Mom!" she screams as she turns to see her mother standing in the doorway. "You scared me!"

Judy frowns and continues to stare at her daughter.

"Sorry," Quinn says. "I didn't think anyone would be home. Dad said I could come by and get some of my things."

"I know," her mother answers. "I was hoping to catch you before you left." Judy clears her throat and goes to sit down on the bed.

"Oh," is all Quinn can say as she moves closer with her arms folded over her chest.

"When are you moving?" Judy asks.

She doesn't know how much news Russell has been filling her mother with as of late. She's surprised that Judy even wanted to know anything at all. "Monday morning," she answers.

Judy nods before smiling to herself, "You've always been so bright. I just knew you were going to get that scholarship."

"Really? Because I didn't," she laughs humorlessly.

"It's not going to end there. You're going to keep doing amazing things, Quinn."

She purses her lips and says, "Thank you."

They're both silent for a moment. Quinn looks down and shuffles her feet as she really doesn't know what else to say. When she looks back up at Judy, she sees her mother staring intently at the ring on her hand.

She quickly clasps both hands behind her back and says, "Mom, I - "

"Your father already told me." Judy sighs, "At first, I didn't believe it. But I guess I shouldn't be completely surprised."

All Quinn can do is nod. The last thing she wants to do is set her mother off like the last time they spoke.

"Quinn, I know that I became distraught and angry when I found out about everything. But you have to try to understand and see it from my perspective."

"I understand," she nods. "I understand completely. I know how crazy it was. But _you_ have to understand that I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I would never hurt you intentionally."

"I know you wouldn't. And I know that - " Quinn can sense her reluctance in even saying her name. "I know that _Rachel_ wouldn't either. But that doesn't mean it doesn't feel like a slap in the face."

Quinn turns away, not able to look her mother in the eye right now. There's literally nothing she can say to make everything right again.

After another minute of silence, Judy speaks up again, "It's safe to say that things aren't going to be the same in our family ever again. I know I've calmed down, but I'm still not okay with...this. I just don't want you to leave on bad terms, Quinn."

"I don't want to either," Quinn says honestly. "Mom, the last thing I ever wanted to do was have to decide on who I would lose, but she means too much to me. I mean," she holds up her left hand again to prove a point.

Judy stares at it again and sighs, "When is...this supposed to happen?"

Quinn shrugs, "I really don't know. Probably not anytime in the near future."

When all her mother can do is nod, Quinn wants to ask her what she's thinking, but decides against it. Still, she can only imagine.

Judy stands up and hesitantly takes a step towards Quinn. "I know I could have been a better mother to you. Not just this past year, but when you were younger too. We should have been there for you more and - "

"Mom..." Quinn pulls her into a hug just as the tears start falling for both of them.

Judy embraces her for a moment longer before pulling back. "I know that I should have told you this a lot more than I did, but I love you more than anything else. And if you ever have a child of your own, you're going to understand. It's just hard knowing that you don't need me anymore."

"I'm always going to need you. That doesn't change just because I'm grown up now."

Taking a deep breath, Judy nods as she gathers herself. She clears her throat, "I hope that you'll write me and call whenever you can."

"Of course I will," Quinn says. "And maybe you, dad, and I can go out to dinner before I leave? Would tomorrow be okay?"

"I'd like that," Judy smiles. "That'd be nice."

"Good," Quinn nods.

"So, would you like some help?" Judy asks as she walks over to the closet. "Whatever you don't take, we can put in storage."

Quinn smiles, "Thanks."

The spend the next two hours together sorting through Quinn's things. She doesn't dare bringing up Rachel again. She knows it's still really hard for her mother to think about, yet alone talk about. So she decides to save it for another day and enjoy her time with Judy before she leaves.

* * *

One thing that Quinn wasn't really going to miss was working at the Lima Bean. And while she's working her last shift there, she feels more relief than anything.

It was only her and another girl working that morning. They had just finished taking care of a very busy rush, and Quinn was ready for her break. Just as she's about to step away from the register, she silently curses when she hears a customer walking in the door, but freezes when she looks up at them.

"Hi," Marley says as she timidly approaches Quinn. "I was wondering if you had a minute to talk?"

Quinn nervously clears her throat and says, "Yeah. Just give me one second."

She informs her coworker that she's going on break, then goes to sit down at the booth that Marley was vacating.

"So, how have you been?" she asks politely with a smile.

"I've been good," Marley answers. "Still going to school. Still working at the bookstore. Same boring life," she chuckles.

"Oh? That's good."

When neither girl says anything else for a couple minutes, the awkward silence gets to Quinn and she begins shifting in her seat. Marley isn't fairing much better.

"I'm guessing you heard that I'm leaving?" the blonde asks to get the ball rolling.

"Yeah. I heard you're going to NYU," Marley smiles.

Quinn nods, "We're leaving in a couple days." She makes sure to put an emphasis on the _we_.

This doesn't go unnoticed by Marley. "Quinn, I'm here because I wanted to apologize to you."

Quinn frowns, "Apologize? For what?"

Marley sighs, "Where do I even begin? For making a complete fool of myself? For trying to get involved in your relationship?"

"It's literally been months," Quinn says. "I'm not upset about it anymore so you don't have to apologize. We've all moved on by now."

"That doesn't mean I don't owe you one," Marley presses. "If I really cared about you, I should've just left you alone."

Quinn purses her lips and looks down at her hands. She imagines how hard it must have been for the girl. To have such strong feelings for someone and to not have those feelings returned. At least for Quinn, that's something she'll never have to go through again.

Marley continues, "And there's something else I should tell you, if you don't already know."

"Tell me what?" Quinn frowns.

"You're going to hate me for this," the girl says nervously. "But I ran into your mom one day at the hospital. We were talking, and I was just so mad at you and Rachel both."

Quinn's mouth hangs open. "You were the one that told her about us?"

"Not exactly," Marley says quickly. "I told her that I heard you were dating an older woman. But I swear, I regretted it the instant I said it and left. I'm so sorry, Quinn."

She assumes that her mother probably put the pieces together and eventually figured it out. Quinn suddenly feels anger flaring up inside of her, but only for a fleeting moment. While Marley had no right, Judy finding out was inevitable. She just wishes she was more prepared for it. And she probably would be more mad right now had she not somewhat reconnected with her mom over the past couple days.

"Quinn?"

"What's done is done. And at least my mom is talking to me again," is all she says.

"I'm still sorry."

She knows that Marley probably wants to say more, but she doesn't. Quinn knows that there's no point in holding a grudge when she's about to move anyway.

She jumps slightly when she feels Marley lightly touch her hand.

"I didn't know you were engaged."

"Yeah, Rachel asked me back in June," she answers.

Marley nods and retracts her hand. "It's a nice ring," she says.

"Thank you," Quinn smiles.

"I know that I shouldn't say this, but Rachel is really lucky."

Quinn frowns because she always thinks of herself as the lucky one.

"And I hope that you'll be happy together in New York," Marley adds.

"We will be," Quinn says firmly. "And I hope that you'll be happy too. You really deserve it."

Marley nods, "I actually have a date tomorrow. With one of Kitty's friends. I think...Sam Evans? Do you know him?"

Quinn smiles, "Yeah. He's actually a really good guy. I think you'll get along."

"That's good to know," Marley sighs in relief. "I was starting to get nervous."

"Don't be. You're a good person and you're going to make someone really happy one day."

Marley stares back at her with a sad smile. Quinn knows that the girl wanted things to develop romantically between them. But to her, it was never meant to be that way.

"But that doesn't mean you need to find someone right now," she continues. "There's no rush. You have your whole life ahead of you."

"Thank you, Quinn."

She clears her throat, "I should probably get back to work now." She then stands up and begins tying her apron back on. "But it was really good seeing you." After she finishes putting on the apron, she's surprised when Marley pulls her into a quick hug.

"You know, I would say that I hope we can be friends again one day. But obviously, that's never going to happen," Marley says as she stares at her wistfully. "So, I guess this is goodbye. Good luck, Quinn."

"Good luck, Marley," she says softly.

Marley takes hold of her hand and lingers for a moment. She then gives one gentle squeeze before letting go and turning around to leave.

* * *

Rachel closes the trunk of the car and turns to Quinn, "I guess that's it. Are you ready?"

"As ready for a ten hour drive as I can be," the blonde chuckles. She looks down the driveway to see Puck and her father climbing out of the moving truck.

"The movers are leaving now. We got everything, right?" Russell asks.

"Looks like it," Quinn nods.

They all turn to see the truck pulling away. When it disappears down the street, Puck is the first to speak. "So, I guess you guys are going now?"

Quinn sighs, "Yeah, if we want to be there before dark."

"I'll be sure to drive before we get to the city," Rachel says. "Drivers are crazy over there."

"Sounds good," Quinn says.

Before she knows it, Puck is squeezing the life out of her and saying, "I'm going to miss you, Q. You need to call me like all the time."

"I will," she laughs.

"And let me crash at your place whenever I go to New York."

"Okay, Puck."

As the two friends keep going, Rachel shifts awkwardly under Russell's gaze. She speaks lowly for only the two of them to hear, "If you're worried about Quinn, I'm going to make sure that she's taken care of."

"That's good to know," he says as he steps closer. "I just want to make sure Quinn is going to want to see Judy and I again after today."

It catches Rachel off guard, but she really shouldn't be surprised. "Of course," she says. "I would never get in the way of that and I would never turn her against you both. You know that, Russell."

He sighs, "I know."

"So please don't worry."

Puck and Quinn are still talking to one another, so he uses the opportunity to say, "You know, Judy is going to come around eventually. She's dealing with it a lot better now than she was before. But she still needs time."

"I understand. And maybe one day I can really get a chance to talk to her about everything."

Russell nods in agreement, but before he can say anything, Puck comes bounding over to spin Rachel in a twirling hug.

"Puck!" the woman laughs.

He turns to his daughter and smiles, "I guess this is it, kiddo."

"Yeah, I guess so," Quinn answers.

"Make sure that you focus on school. Don't start slacking and dropping out," he jokes.

She rolls her eyes with a smile, "I know, dad."

They embrace each other in a hug when he tells her, "I love you, Quinn."

"I love you too." She squeezes him even tighter. "And tell mom that I love her too."

He nods before reluctantly pulling away. He holds back his tears and smiles at both of them, "Be careful driving up there," he says.

"Don't worry," Quinn answers.

When her and Rachel get in the car, she takes a deep breath.

"Are you okay?" Rachel asks.

"Yeah," she says as she starts the car.

Her fiancée reaches over and squeezes her hand. "I'm so happy we're doing this. I love you, baby."Quinn stares back at her and smiles, "I love you too."


	33. Chapter 33

_Quinn,_

_We just got back from the work Christmas party. They had it at Breadstix this year...which is the same as every year. But your father and I had a good time. And anyway, how is your internship going? I want to hear all about it._

_I'm really glad that you came to visit for Thanksgiving. I'll miss you but I hope that you have a wonderful Christmas and New Year._

_Love, Mom_

Quinn grins at her laptop screen. She shifts to get more comfortable on the couch and hits the reply button.

_Mom,_

_Things are going great. I got my final grades last week and I made all A's. NYU is a lot harder than Lima, but I love it. The internship has been good so far. I'm not exactly keen in editing. But it's the New Yorker, so I can't complain. And at least it's paid so I don't have to worry about finding a job for another year._

She stops when Rachel walks in the front door with some shopping bags in hand. "I'm back, my love!" the woman greets with a smile.

Quinn smiles back and quickly finishes typing her reply.

_I have to go now. But I promise I'll write back tomorrow._

_Love, Quinn_

"When you have a minute, do you think you can help me wrap these?" Rachel asks.

"Sure," Quinn says as she closes her laptop and sets it aside. "What did you get?"

Rachel beams and pulls some stuff out of the bags. "This new scarf for Kurt. And a bow tie for Blaine," she says as she holds them out. She then pulls out two identical sweaters, "And matching sweaters for the both of them."

"That's cute. They're going to love them," Quinn says as she gets up to go to their bedroom for a moment then returns with a couple of gift boxes. "And we finally have use for these," she laughs.

They fall into comfortable silence while wrapping the two boxes.

But that silence is short-lived when Rachel clears her throat. "So..."

Quinn looks at her, "So...?"

"Oh nothing," Rachel says. "I just noticed that it's Christmas Eve, and that there are only two gifts under the tree," she motions to the Christmas tree by the window. "And they're both the ones that I got for you." She tries to point it out as coolly as possible, which in her case, isn't very much.

"Hmm," Quinn turns to look at the tree, "I think you're right."

Rachel huffs to herself, then shrugs her shoulders and says, "Maybe I'll have something from Santa in the morning."

"Maybe Santa thinks you've been naughty this year," the blonde smirks.

"Whatever," Rachel rolls her eyes and gets back to wrapping.

"Hey," Quinn nudges her with a chuckle. "Since you're too stubborn to ask, of course I got you something. But you're just going to have to wait until tomorrow to see what it is."

"Why can't you put it under the tree now?"

"Because you tend to snoop. Don't think I forgot about how you practically turned the bedroom upside down looking for your birthday present."

"That was the only time! You know I'm impatient."

"I know that more than anyone," Quinn giggles.

Rachel bites the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling, but fails miserably with the sound of Quinn's infectious laugh.

"Hey," the blonde leans over for a brief kiss. "I promise it'll be worth the wait."

"I know," Rachel says before kissing her back more fully.

Their kiss escalates quickly and Quinn finds herself on top of the other woman aching for more.

"How long until we have to be at the guys' house?" she asks as her hands wander under Rachel's sweater and along her sides.

Rachel suddenly freezes and cranes her neck to look at the clock. "Shit! In an hour."

She gently pushes Quinn off of her and jumps up from the couch.

"We need to get ready!" She stops and stares at the confused blonde. "No, you look perfect. _I_ need to get ready."

"Okay Rach," Quinn laughs. "I'll start taking this stuff down to the car, okay?"

As Rachel disappears into the bedroom, she yells out, "I love you!"

...

Exactly an hour later, after furiously weaving through New York City traffic, they make it to Kurt and Blaine's house on Long Island.

"Right on time," Rachel beams as she kills the engine.

"I think you clipped a cab or two," Quinn remarks as they get out and walk towards the house.

"No, they probably clipped me," Rachel argues.

Not too long after ringing the doorbell, Kurt throws the door open. "Hey guys!" His eyes are wide and his grin is a little too enthusiastic. And he looks like he just ran a marathon.

"Kurt," Rachel replies with a frown. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, you look a little…frazzled," Quinn adds.

"Oh you know, just the same old. Blaine and I are ready to kill each other because the turkey isn't right, he forgot about the stuffing, _and_ we've been running errand all day. But come on in!"

Rachel nervously steps inside with an equally reluctant blonde right behind her.

"I'll be in the kitchen!" Kurt announces. "Would you like anything to drink?"

"No, I'm fine," Rachel says as she settles on the couch. "Quinn?"

"No thank you," the girl says.

When they're left alone, Rachel snuggles into Quinn's side. "I'm cold," she whines.

Quinn smiles and wraps an arm around her shoulders and both women sigh in content.

After a few minutes of silence, they jump when they hear shouting coming from the kitchen.

"Are they okay?" Quinn asks with concern.

Rachel frowns and tilts her head towards the commotion. "I'm sure they are. They've probably just had a long day. Kurt always gets like this around the holidays. As long as we don't hear anything being thrown, they're fine."

"Oh." Quinn hates to think that she and Rachel will argue like that regularly after _they_ get married.

As if reading her thoughts, Rachel adds, "That won't be us. While Blaine and Kurt may be comfortable with screaming at each other once in a while, I won't allow us to ever go that far."

"Promise?"

"I'll include it in my vows," she smiles. As they settle into another comfortable silence, she starts to ponder to herself before asking, "Quinn, when are we going to talk about – "

"Okay, the food is ready!" Kurt suddenly exits the kitchen. "Or at least it should be. Oh well. If all else fails, we'll just get take out."

"Sounds good to me," Quinn answers as she pulls an annoyed Rachel up with her. She then tilts her head down to whisper to her girlfriend, "We'll talk about it later."

…

"So Quinn, how is the new job going?" Blaine asks cordially as they sit around the dinner table.

"It's an internship," she corrects. "And it's going great."

"Paid internship?" Kurt asks.

"That's right."

"It's good that you have an actual income," he remarks, earning a glare from Blaine. Rachel rolls her eyes at the two.

"I have two interviews next week," Blaine says pointedly. "And I've been sending my resume to a lot of people."

"It's great that you're being proactive about it," Rachel says, nudging her girlfriend to nod in agreement.

When Kurt scoffs, Rachel is fed up. "Can you not? I came here with Quinn to have a nice Christmas dinner with you guys and I don't want to hear anymore fighting or bickering."

"It's technically Christmas Eve."

"Kurt!"

"Okay! I'm sorry. I'm just annoyed because my dad wasn't able to fly in for the week."

"Which isn't _my_ fault," Blaine adds.

Kurt shoots him a glare that effectively silences him. And before long, everyone gets back to enjoying the meal in silence.

"Are you guys doing anything special tomorrow?" Blaine asks.

"We'll probably just hang around at the apartment all day," Rachel answers. "I might take Quinn ice skating at Central Park since we haven't been there in a while."

"I've also never been ice skating either," Quinn says.

"Learning to ice skate at one of the busiest tourist attractions in the city. I hope you have a good life insurance policy, Quinn," Kurt says with a smile, making them all laugh.

"I'm sure she'll do fine," Rachel insists. "She's a fast learner," she says as she strokes the blondes arm.

She ignores Kurt's eye roll and gets back to eating her food.

"Have you guys set a date yet?" Blaine asks.

"No, not yet," Quinn answers. "We've just been really busy lately," she explains.

"Especially with Quinn's school and new internship. And I've been so busy with work and vocal lessons."

"You finally found some clients?" Kurt asks.

"Just two," Rachel clears her throat. "But it's a start. And anyway, we're just really...busy," she finishes lamely. Truthfully, she's been itching to ask Quinn about it for weeks now. But she knows that they agreed not to rush it. But if Quinn's comment from earlier was anything to go by, she'd be able to ask the girl soon.

"We'll keep you posted," Quinn assures them. "Like Rachel said, there's just a lot going on right now."

"I can't wait to start planning it," Kurt says excitedly. "I'll get to be the one to drive Rachel crazy this time."

"Oh hush you. I wasn't that bad."

"I have over a dozen vendors that would beg to differ."

"Whatever," Rachel huffs. "Keep up with the attitude, and I'll just get someone else to plan it."

Going off of his truly shocked expression, she quickly assures Kurt that she's only joking.

"I'm sure it'll be a great wedding," Blaine says. He turns to Kurt and smiles, "It's still hard to believe that we've been married for over six months."

His husband reaches for his hand and returns the smile. "And it's been the best six months of my life."

Rachel has no idea how the two men can go from screaming at each other to being so affectionate right after. But if it works, then good for them. She decides to give them their moment and continues eating her food, but not before locking eyes with Quinn and sharing their own knowing look.

...

The next morning, a sleeping Quinn is awakened when she hears something coming from the closet. She frowns and sees that her fiancée is not in bed with her and can only assume that Rachel is attempting to stealthily rummage through the closet.

She glances at the clock to see it's only a few minutes until six o'clock and turns off the alarm before it has a chance to sound. She gets up and stretches her stiff limbs before walking over to the closet.

She opens the door and peers inside. "What are you doing?"

"Quinn!" Rachel jumps up from the floor. "You're up early!" She leans over to plant a quick peck on the girl's lips. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas," Quinn replies. She looks at the scattered shoeboxes and clothing all around the woman and smirks, "Were you seriously looking for your present?"

"Maybe," Rachel's cheeks redden. Quinn thinks it's the most adorable thing ever.

"Well," she says as she steps around her, "You were close. If only you looked inside the pocket of my favorite jacket." She pulls the coat off the hanger and slips it on triumphantly.

"Damn," Rachel scolds herself. "Okay, you win. Can we exchange presents now?"

"Maybe later. You still have to take me ice skating."

"Why can't we do _that_ later?" Rachel pouts.

"We have to at least try to beat the crowd," Quinn says. "Now get dressed."

She promptly leaves the closet while smirking to herself. She knows that it's torture for Rachel to wait for...pretty much anything. But waiting just a little longer won't kill her. It's going to be special for them no matter what.

...

After making the trip to Central Park and _not_ beating the crowds, Rachel and Quinn spend a couple hours on the ice skating rink before Rachel is completely exhausted and ready to take a break.

As they return their rented skates, Quinn nudges her, "Don't tell me you're ready to call it a day."

"We were out there for a while. And are you sure you've never skated before?" Rachel asks as they begin their walk through the park.

"No, never. I guess you're a good teacher. Or I'm just a fast learner," Quinn teases.

"Either way, you did great for your first time."

"I don't think anyone was as good as that kid in the red scarf."

"The one that knocked me over? He was such a show off!" Rachel whines.

"Hey, I got you out of there in one piece," Quinn laughs. She then looks around them, "Where are we going?"

"I just thought we could walk around for a while," Rachel shrugs. "Is that okay with you?"

"That sounds perfect."

They continues walking on different paths all throughout the park for the next hour or so just talking and smiling at one another. Quinn pulls them to sit on one of the vacant benches and smiles when her girlfriend cuddles into her side.

"It's cold," Rachel says.

"Yeah it is," Quinn agrees. "Were you ready to go?"

Rachel shakes her head, "We can stay for a little while longer."

Quinn nods and unceremoniously pulls Rachel's gift out of her pocket. It was a simple small red box with white ribbon wrapped around it to go with the Christmas theme.

Upon seeing it, Rachel perks up and takes it from Quinn eagerly, but stops before opening it. "Are you sure you don't want to wait until we get home? I didn't brings your gifts."

"It's okay. You can open yours now," she assures.

Rachel bites her lip and decides to follow the blonde's instructions and opens it. When she sees what's inside, she gasps, "Quinn, you didn't have to do this."

"Well it's not fair that I'm the only one wearing an engagement ring," Quinn says as she takes the ring out of the box. She then takes Rachel's left hand and slips it on her ring finger. "It fits," she smiles.

"It's beautiful," Rachel says as she holds her hand up to stare at it. She turns her head to connect their lips for a brief moment. "Thank you. I love you."

"And that's not the only thing."

Rachel furrows her brow, "It's not?"

Quinn shakes her head, "I think it's time we set a date." Going off of Rachel's excited grin, she continues, "It doesn't have to be next week or anything. But I do want it to be in the near future. For the past six months, all I've been thinking about is how much I want to marry you. And I don't care if it's just with a few people, or five hundred people. As long as we really do this."

"We are," Rachel assures her. "We really are. And I love you so much."

"I love you too," Quinn smiles.

Her fiancée pulls her in for another kiss, letting it last a little longer this time. When she pulls back, Rachel says, "This is the best Christmas ever."

"Is it?"

"Definitely." She quickly stands and pulls Quinn up with her. "Now come on! We have a lot of planning to get started on."

And a lot of planning is exactly what they do on the entire way home. It shouldn't surprise Quinn that Rachel already has so many ideas and suggestions. The woman has probably been mentally planning their wedding for quite some time now.

Quinn isn't too picky about all of the little details. She figures that Kurt will be able to better assist Rachel with these things. But the most important thing to her for now was setting a date, which, after discussing it for a few hours, they finally did.

Later in the evening, after a quiet dinner together, Rachel decides to take a warm shower before they watch a movie together.

"I'll be quick!" she shouts to Quinn as she hurries to their bedroom.

"Take your time," Quinn chuckles.

When she's left alone in the living room, she stares down at her laptop screen. She clicks the button to compose a new email and takes a deep breath. She's already thought up what she's going to say in her head. Now it was just a matter of writing it.

Thinking that it's best to get it over with, she starts typing.

_Mom,_

_I'm not sure how you're going to take this, but I wanted you to hear it from me first. Rachel and I have set a date. It's going to be here in New York on June 30_ _th_ _. I know we haven't really talked about everything, and I'm not sure how you feel right now. But I would really like for you to be there. But if you don't want to, then I understand. I love you. And tell dad that I love him too._

_Love, Quinn_


	34. Chapter 34

Quinn paces back and forth in her hotel room to work off the jitters. She even has to refrain herself several times from chewing on her nails. She doesn't remember the last time she was this nervous.

Pounding at the door breaks her out of her thoughts.

"Quinn! Let us in! Brittany has to pee!"

She hurries over to open the door and her two friends rush inside.

"Thanks Quinn!" Brittany says as she runs to the bathroom.

"The fucking line at McDonalds was ridiculous," Santana says as she dumps their food on the table. "Are you hungry?"

Quinn shakes her head, "No thanks."

"Tell her about how it had three stories!" Brittany calls out from the bathroom.

Santana nods absently as she sits down and dives into one of the burgers.

Brittany emerges moments later with a look of relief. "And there was free wifi."

"That sounds really cool," Quinn says. She sits down on the bed and takes a deep breath. "I'm glad you guys are here because I think I'm about to have a panic attack."

"What!" Brittany shrieks. "You don't want to get married?"

She shakes her head quickly, "Of course I do!"

"Whas goin on?" Santana asks with her mouth full.

Quinn sighs, "I'm just nervous that I'm going to mess this up."

"How could you mess this up?" Brittany asks.

"I don't know! What if I'm in the middle of my vows and I forget the words? What if I trip and fall on my face? What if I completely embarrass Rachel because - "

"Quinn," Santana interrupts along with a roll of her eyes. "I'm pretty sure it's completely normal to be nervous on your wedding day."

"I can't help it."

"You're going to be fine," Brittany says softly. "You shouldn't worry. Worrying will distract you from the awesomeness of today."

"And who cares if everything doesn't go according to plan today," Santana adds. "Think about tomorrow. Think about next year. Shit, think about the rest of your life. Think about how you're going to be spending it with the person you love more than anything. It doesn't matter if today is a total disaster as long as you still have Rachel in the end."

Quinn nods, feeling a little bit better after listening to her friends' words. "Maybe I should practice my vows to you guys to make sure I get them right. Just in case."

Santana shakes her head, "You've got this. Save it for when you see her."

Before Quinn can respond, someone knocks at the door.

Santana gets up and says, "I'll get it." She opens the door to see a young girl with a bag in tow. "Who the hell are you?"

"Kurt hired me to do hair and makeup."

"Let her in," Quinn calls out.

Brittany bounces excitedly. "Let's get you ready!"

* * *

Later, after Quinn is done with hair and makeup and dressed, she sends the stylist on her way and looks over herself in the mirror.

"I can't get over how much I love this dress," Brittany says next to her. "It's so simple and so...you! You're so beautiful."

Quinn blushes, "Thank you." She looks back at her reflection. "I have to look my best. It's one of the most important days of my life."

Santana senses a hint of sadness in her voice and puts her straightener down. She walks over to Quinn and lightly touches her arm. "Any word from Judy?"

"No," Quinn shakes her head. "I mean, obviously she's not coming. But it's okay. My dad came. And so did you guys," she smiles at them.

Santana smiles back at her and doesn't say more. She knows that Quinn is probably upset over not hearing from Judy. But at least the blonde is no longer a nervous wreck.

A phone goes off and Quinn says, "That's mine." She picks it up from the bed and reads a message. "My dad says him and a Puck are ready and waiting in the lobby."

Santana and Brittany hustle to slip on their shoes and grab their purses. Quinn smiles at them, "Let's go."

They head downstairs to the hotel lobby to meet the men. As soon as Puck sees her, he grins and engulfs her into a hug.

"Watch the hair, Puckerman," she jokes.

"Yes your majesty," he answers back before releasing her and going over to annoy Santana.

Quinn turns to her father, clad in his best suit, and taking in his soon-to-be-married daughter.

"You make a beautiful bride," he says softly.

"Thanks dad," she smiles. "What have you guys been doing all day?"

"Dude, New York is awesome!" Puck says excitedly. "We went to Times Square. And the zoo. And the museum of culture history."

"Museum of Natural History," Russell corrects with a chuckle.

"They had this giant ass whale, Quinn! Look, I took some pictures."

As he scrolls through his phone, Quinn laughs, "Obviously you need to visit more often."

Right then, one of the elevator doors opens and Kurt steps out and heads right for them like a man on a mission. He stops in front of them and begins to visually inspect them one by one.

"Good. You all look good, Quinn especially. But no surprise there," he winks. "Okay, your cars are waiting out front. Quinn, you'll ride with your father. And you three," he points to Santana, Brittany, and Puck, "will ride together. Also, the officiator had to cancel at the last minute, but my dad said he would be more than happy to take over if it's okay with you."

"Um, okay?"

"Excellent. Blaine is already at the park with him so you will meet them there. The others should be arriving within the hour. Any questions?"

Quinn frowns, "Is Rachel there already?"

Kurt rolls his eyes and laughs humorlessly, "She's still upstairs getting ready."

"Of course," she nods, not knowing why she bothered to ask since she already knows Rachel so well. "Well it's a good thing we have some extra time to spare."

Kurt looks at his watch and nods in agreement.

"Does this mean we have time to go to the zoo?" Brittany asks hopefully.

"I don't care what you do. Just make sure you stay close by and that you're at the spot by six o'clock sharp," Kurt says while pointedly looking at Quinn's friends. "This is a sunset wedding, people."

Puck checks the time on his phone and immediately starts pulling an eager Brittany and an annoyed Santana out the hotel doors.

"You need to get going too, Quinn. Rachel could be down here any minute and you can't see each other before the actual wedding," Kurt presses.

"Alright. I'm going," she says. "I'll see you there."

Russell gently guides her out with a hand on her back to their awaiting car.

"See you soon!" Kurt waves as he watches them leave. He thinks that it would have been perfect if the photographer were with him now to capture the moment. But setting that aside, there were other things to worry about.

He squares his shoulders and gets back into the elevator and heads back up to Rachel's floor.

As he unlocks the door, he's not surprised to hear a bickering on the other side. And when he walks in, sure enough, Rachel is in the midst of another argument with her hair stylist.

"It only takes ten minutes!" she yells.

Kurt decides to step in before they start running behind schedule.

Before the stylist has a chance to respond, Kurt pulls him out of the bathroom and asks, "What's going on?"

"She's so difficult!" the frustrated man exclaims, not caring that Rachel can easily hear him. She simply rolls her eyes and works on the finishing touches on her makeup. "She can't make up her mind about whether to wear it up or down and we've changed it three times already!"

Kurt sighs and glances over at his best friend, who also looks like she's on the verge of a breakdown. He notices that her hair is pinned up and says, "Rach, your hair looks perfect like that. Just leave it."

Rachel turns to him. "Are you sure?"

"Positive."

She looks into the mirror with a frown. "I don't know, Kurt."

He turns to the stylist and whispers, "Get out now, before it's too late and she changes her mind again."

Not needing to be told twice, the man quickly gathers his things and hastily leaves the room.

"Did you just send him away?" Rachel fumes.

"It was for the best. You look great. Now can you please get dressed?"

She mutters to herself as she stomps over to the closet to take her dress out.

"How's Quinn doing?" she asks as she steps into it.

Kurt walks over to help her zip the gown up. "She seemed okay. She's already on her way over there."

"Shit!" Rachel pulls away and starts looking around for her heels. "We should get going."

"Rachel," Kurt says as he stills her. "We have a few minutes to spare. Just breathe. Okay?"

She nods and sucks in a breath. After a moment, when she feels like she's calmed down, she sits down on the bed.

"How does she look?"

Kurt smirks and takes a seat next to her. "You'll just have to wait and see. I will say this, Quinn never disappoints and today is no exception."

Rachel beams, "Kurt, I'm so excited! I'm getting married!"

"I know! And I'm glad I was invited to at least one of your weddings."

She rolls her eyes and decides to ignore him by getting up and looking over herself in the mirror once again.

The hotel phone rings and she hears Kurt answering it.

"Hello? Yes, this is Mr. Hummel. Mhmm. Okay? Wait, what?"

She frowns and turns to him.

"There must be some mistake. Are you completely sure?"

He locks eyes with Rachel as he listens, his expression becoming more anxious, which was really making her worry.

"No, it's fine. Thank you." He puts the phone back on the receiver.

"Kurt, what's wrong?"

He nervously approaches her and carefully says, "So, slight change of plans."

"What is it?"

"We won't be riding together. So I'm going to meet you there."

She furrows her brow, "Okay? Any particular reason why?"

"Something came up. But everything is fine," he adds. "So don't worry."

"Are you sure?" She doesn't know why he would be acting this strange if it wasn't a big deal.

He nods before going to the mini bar in the corner of the room and comes back with three mini bottles of liquor. "Rum, vodka, or tequila. You only get one."

She takes the vodka and uncaps it before downing the shot. Kurt then takes a can of mints out of his jacket pocket and hands her one.

She finds it strange that he's not saying much now. But if there really is something to worry about then she'll find out soon enough.

He looks her over and smiles, "You look amazing."

"Thank you," she says softly.

"So, are you ready to do this?"

"I couldn't be more ready."

They go downstairs and outside to the busy New York street. Kurt walks Rachel over to a limo and says, "This one is yours."

When she nods, he opens the door and helps her inside.

"Thanks Kurt."

"Don't mention it. I'll see you in a bit."

After he closes the car door, she watches as he heads back into the building. She sighs and relaxes in her seat.

A couple of minutes later, when the limo still hasn't moved, she frowns and asks the driver, "When are we leaving?"

"Soon. We're just waiting on one more person."

She's taken aback. "Who?"

She jumps when the door in the other side suddenly opens and the person quickly gets inside.

Rachel stares in shock at the other person and before she can react, the limo starts pulling into traffic.

She continues to gape and says, "Judy?"

Judy glances over at her and says, "You should put your seatbelt on."

Rachel absently does so. "I wasn't expecting you to come."

"I wasn't expecting to come either," Judy sighs. "But late last night, I found myself booking the next available flight. I got here this morning."

"Does Quinn know?"

"No. I haven't told her or Russell."

"Well either way, I'm really glad you came."

"Are you really?" Judy eyes her.

Rachel nods, "I am."

Judy says nothing more and looks out the car window. Rachel cringes to herself with how awkward it was. It's been nearly a year and a half since she's seen or spoken to the woman she used to consider her sister. Where do they even begin?

"You look great," she says suddenly. "Have you lost weight?"

"A little," Judy nods. "Russell and I have been going to the gym a lot more lately."

"That's really good. All I have time for now is maybe a quick jog twice a week," she laughs.

Judy smiles politely and it's quiet in the limo once again. Rachel curses internally and figures she'll just have to endure the rest of the ride in awkward silence,

Ten painfully long minutes later, the driver pulls to a stop by one of the Central Park entrances. "When you're ready," he tells Rachel before stepping out of the car and leaving her alone with Judy.

They both continue to sit there and stare straight ahead. Rachel decides she'll have to be the one to get the ball rolling. So she turns to her and says softly, "I thought you never wanted to see me again."

Judy meets her gaze. "I did for a while. Just knowing that Quinn was out there somewhere with you made me crazy. I couldn't handle it."

"And now?"

"I don't know when or how," Judy smiles sadly, "but I think I'm almost at peace with it now. Because if I have to decide between hating you and being in my daughter's life, it's really no contest because I'm always going to choose Quinn."

Despite herself, Rachel smiles at this.

"It was really hard for me to come to terms with this. But I just have to accept it because Quinn loves you and she chose to be with you." Tears start to well up in Judy's eyes. "And I want more than anything to be okay with this."

"I know how hard this is. And I never intended to put you through any of it. And I'm truly sorry that you had to go through what you did. But I'm not sorry for loving Quinn and I will never apologize for that."

Judy doesn't say anything and just nods.

"None of this is your fault," Rachel assures. "The only thing that you're to blame for is raising Quinn to be so kind and loving and perfect."

This gets a genuine smile out of Judy. The woman carefully wipes her eyes. "I guess there's not much left to do except embrace reality." She looks Rachel right in the eyes and says, "You're never going to be a sister to me again."

Rachel nods because she understands. "That's fine. All I want is for you to be in our lives because Quinn is always going to need you and Russell."

Judy is quiet for a moment as she lets this sink in. She then turns to Rachel and hesitates before she speaks, "I'm sorry that I hit you and said the things I did."

"I forgive you."

The blonde woman clears her throat, "And thank you for allowing me to be here."

"Of course." She then frowns to herself. "I guess it's about time to go."

"I would like a moment with Quinn before it starts, if you don't mind."

"I'm sure she'd like that as well." She looks around to see Kurt waiting just outside the limo with the driver. "Kurt will show you where to go."

Judy nods and opens the door to get out.

* * *

"What's taking everyone so long?" Quinn asks her father. Her, Russell, Burt, Blaine, and Mercedes were waiting around at their designated spot in Central Park. Tina and Artie had taken off with Puck, Santana, and Brittany nearly half an hour earlier. They promised they wouldn't go far. But that didn't make her worry any less.

"I don't know," Russell answers. "But I'm sure they'll be here soon."

"Just relax, Quinn," Blaine says. "There isn't really a set time that we have to be out of here."

"But the sun is getting close to setting," she points out.

"Sweetheart, don't worry," Russell smiles at his daughter.

Quinn sighs in relief when she sees Brittany and Puck running over with Santana right behind them.

"Are we late?" Brittany asks as soon as they stop.

"No," Quinn says.

"Holy shit," Santana wheezes as she nearly falls over. "Those cigars were a terrible idea."

"Where's Tina and Artie?" Mercedes asks.

Brittany frowns and looks around, "They were right behind us."

"There they are!" Puck points.

And sure enough, the Asian girl can be seen walking towards them while pushing her boyfriend's wheelchair. "Don't tell me we're late," she says when they reach them.

"It's fine," Quinn says. "Rachel isn't even here yet."

"Really?" Puck asks. "Then me and Brittany are gonna go look at the polar bears. We'll make it back in time."

"You both stay right here," Quinn says sternly. "Rachel will be here any minute."

"Quinn?"

She hears Kurt's voice calling out from behind her and turns around. She freezes when she sees him escorting her mother.

"Judy?" Russell asks, confused.

Quinn can only continue to stare in bewilderment.

"You have a surprise guest," Kurt smiles. "I'll leave you both alone." He clears his throat while giving all of the others a pointed look. They quickly start to spread out to give Quinn her space.

"Mom, you came," Quinn smiles with tears in her eyes.

"I would have hated myself if I missed your big day."

She can't help herself. She pulls her mother into a tight hug. When she pulls back, she says, "Thank you for coming." She then pauses before she asks, "But are you really okay with being here?"

"I'll be fine. And I already spoke with Rachel."

Quinn frowns, "When?"

"Just now. Before I came over here."

"How did it go?"

"It event fine."

"What did - "

"Quinn," Judy stops her. "Don't worry about it, okay? From here on, we're moving forward. This is your day. I love you and I want you to be happy."

"Okay," Quinn nods. "I love you too."

"The second bride is coming!" Kurt suddenly shouts. "Places people!"

Russell walks over to take Judy's hand and pull her to stand next to him. Everyone else gets to where Kurt demanded them to stand.

Quinn turns around to look for Rachel. She takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly.

This is it.

It's only a minute later when she spots the brunette walking towards her. They lock eyes and neither can stop themselves from beaming at one another.

When Rachel reaches her, Quinn takes both of her hands in her own. "Wow," she breathes out as she takes her in.

Rachel blushes with a shy smile. She then leans over and whispers, "I think they're all waiting for us to get married now."

Quinn smiles and whispers back, "I think you're right." She then links her arm with Rachel's and guides them to stand before Burt.

The man grins and clears his throat, "Dear friends and family, we are gathered here today to celebrate the union of Rachel Berry and Quinn Fabray."

Burt continues with the ceremony speech, but Quinn finds herself subconsciously tuning out his voice as all of her attention is in the beautiful woman before her. She still can't believe that they made it this far. Her hands tighten their hold on Rachel's and the brunette purses her lips to keep from crying out of happiness.

Quinn is brought out of her daze when Rachel widens her eyes at her and whispers, "Quinn?"

She frowns and only then does she realize that everyone is giggling at her. "What?"

"I said it's time for the exchange of vows," Burt smiles.

"Oh!" She shakes her head at herself before looking into Rachel's eyes again. "So, sorry if I get nervous. Just bear with me."

Everyone lets out another chuckle while Rachel just gives a reassuring smile, and Quinn feels all of her anxiety suddenly fading away.

"Rachel, I vow to trust you, support you, protect you, and love you for the rest of our lives. I vow to love you during times of joy and times of grief. I vow to be encouraging and understanding, A day will never go by that I won't be by your side."

She brings a hand up to gently wipe a tear from Rachel's eye before continuing.

"You are my best friend, my missing piece, and my soulmate. And I vow to cherish every moment we share together. I love you."

Rachel mouthes 'I love you too' before taking a breath to gather herself.

"Quinn, to you, I vow a lifetime of happiness. I vow to always put you first, as well as our family...if we were to start one." When Quinn's eyes light up, she continues, "I vow to make certain that we never go to bed angry, and to always be your shoulder to cry on. I vow to support you in all of your dreams and more. _You_ are my best friend. And every minute with you will forever be a blessing to me. I love you."

She sees Kurt wipe a tear out of the corner of her eye and smiles.

"Do we have the rings?" Burt asks.

Kurt sniffles and steps forward and hands Rachel and Quinn the rings. Burt nods and continues, "Do you, Quinn, take Rachel to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold, until death do you part?"

"I do."

Rachel beams at the answer and carefully slides the ring onto Quinn's finger.

"And do you, Rachel, take Quinn to be your lawfully wedded wife? Do have and to hold, until death do you - ?"

"I do," she accidentally slips out before he has a chance to finish, earning more laughs.

Burt laughs along with them before finishing, "Then by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you wife and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Rachel eagerly leans up to place a tender kiss on Quinn's lips, _her wife's_ lips, and gets lost in her all over again when Quinn wraps her arms around her waist.

The small group of people around them starts clapping and it's only when Puck starts whistling does Quinn pull back with a smile. She takes Rachel's hand and they begin their first walk together as a married couple.

Everyone, even her parents, look genuinely happy for them as they walk by. Nearly everyone was attempting to clap while simultaneously wipe their eyes.

She leads Rachel away to where they're out of earshot, but still in sight, so they can have their moment alone.

Rachel latches onto her side and says, "I've missed you all day. I've been going crazy."

Quinn laughs , "So have I. You have no idea."

The woman hums as she stares up at Quinn. "We did it, baby."

"Yes we did. And now you're stuck with me for a long time."

"I don't think I could've done any better," Rachel retorts with a smirk. "I love you so much."

"I love you too." Quinn leans in to brush their lips together lightly. "And I meant every word I said."

"I would hope so."

Quinn smiles. "Now what?"

Rachel rests her head on her shoulder and breathes in her scent. "Now I am yours completely. And we're going to see where life takes us.


	35. Chapter 35

"Ladies and gentlemen, we will begin boarding first class shortly. Please have your boarding passes ready."

Quinn nudges her wife in the chair next to her, "Did you hear that, Rach?"

"Hmm, what?" Rachel frowns, obviously distracted.

"They said they're going to start boarding soon."

"Oh! Okay. It's about time."

Quinn nods in agreement before smiling, "You know, we're inside. You don't need to be wearing your sunglasses."

Rachel huffs and swipes them off of her face.

"Are you still upset about last night?"

She turns to the blonde and says, "Yes, Quinn. I'm still mad."

"It's not that big of a deal," Quinn chuckles.

"I fell asleep! On our wedding night!" She lowers her voice, "What kind of couple doesn't have sex on their wedding night? And you should've woken me up!"

"It was a long day and you were completely exhausted. I didn't want to wake you up."

"And I find that really sweet of you. But it was supposed to be the most romantic night of our lives and we missed out on it all because I couldn't stay awake."

"Baby," Quinn laughs before pressing a kiss to her temple. "We have all week to have a romantic night. So stop worrying. All that matters now is that we're married."

That seems to flip a switch inside of Rachel. "Say it again."

"We're married now."

"Oh god, that sounds so hot."

Quinn can't help but laugh once again.

"We are now boarding for first class."

"That's us!" Rachel beams and jumps up to go wait in line with Quinn right behind her.

When it's her turn, the flight attendant asks, "Boarding pass?"

She frowns when she realizes it's not in her hands and quickly starts digging through her purse. "Shit! Hang on, I just had it."

"I think you left this on the chair," Quinn smirks while handing the woman's pass to her.

Rachel sighs in relief. "I knew I married you for a reason." She hands it to the attendant, "Here you go!"

"Thank you," he glances down at the pass, "Ms. Berry."

"Actually, it's Mrs. Berry-Fabray now," she smiles.

"My apologies. Enjoy your flight."

When her and Quinn get situated in their seats, Rachel starts bouncing excitedly, "We're going on our honeymoon!"

Quinn smiles as she puts on her seatbelt. "It an almost eleven hour flight from here to Hawaii. Make sure you get plenty of sleep now so you don't pass out early again," she winks.

"Haha..." Rachel deadpans.

"You know I still love you, baby."

"You'd better."

Quinn brings Rachel's hand up to her face and leaves a kiss on her knuckles. "Of course I do."

Rachel beams and leans her head on Quinn's shoulder with a sigh, still completely exhausted. She shuts her eyes and figures she should take Quinn's advice and nap for a little while.

* * *

After their plane takes off, Rachel remains asleep for hours, leaving Quinn to entertain herself. She's nearly finished with the new book she bought when a stewardess brings them two glasses of champagne.

"Rach," she nudges the woman, still fast asleep on her shoulder. "Rachel," she says more loudly this time.

The woman groans, "What?"

Quinn laughs at her grumpiness. "Wake up. They brought us champagne."

This causes Rachel to finally open her eyes and sit up. "How long have I been out?" she asks while rubbing her stiff neck.

"About seven hours."

Rachel scoffs, "It took them seven hours to bring us champagne?"

"Hey, first of all, you were asleep, and it's free," Quinn laughs.

"Ugh," Rachel grimaces to herself. "I'm gonna go brush my teeth. I have morning breath." She gets up and pulls her purse with her.

"Only you would brush your teeth on an airplane."

"Bad breath is not a joke, Quinn!" Rachel calls out over her shoulder on her way to the restroom.

Quinn smiles to herself and gets back to her book. After a few minutes, she decides to try the champagne.

"Already starting without me?" Rachel asks as she makes her way back to her seat.

"Is your oral hygiene adequate enough?" Quinn smirks.

Instead of answering, Rachel leans over for a quick kiss, but gasps when Quinn takes hold of the back of her neck and deepens it.

"Quinn," she whispers and pulls away with a blush. "There are people here. So many people!"

"So what? We're on our honeymoon. A little PDA is expected."

"I know that. I also know that you like to get handsy." She emphasizes her point by prying Quinn's hand off of her thigh with a smirk.

"Fine. But you're in for it later."

Rachel bites her lip, "I can't wait."

"But first," Quinn hands a glass to Rachel before raising her own, "here's to us."

"To us, and to the rest of our lives together," Rachel adds with a smile as they lightly tap their glasses together and take a drink.

When Quinn finishes hers, she says, "I think it's time for a nap now."

"I just slept for seven hours, Quinn."

"I was talking about me."

"You do realize we're both going to be up for a while once we land."

"That's okay. Because when we get there, it's only going to be like...two o'clock in the afternoon Hawaii time."

"I don't think about these things. How lucky am I to have such a smart wife?" Rachel teases.

"Pretty lucky I'd say," Quinn banters. "But seriously, wake me up in an hour."

"Fine." She starts digging through her purse to pull out a few magazines. "I'll just keep myself busy with Cosmo and Glamour."

The blonde nods with a yawn before reclining her seat back. "Love you."

* * *

Quinn finds herself having a surprisingly good nap until she hears chatter all around her. She opens her eyes when she feels soft kisses pressing against her face.

"Time to wake up, baby," Rachel whispers in her ear.

She immediately sits up when she sees other passengers standing up and ready to get off the plane. "We already landed? Why didn't you wake me up earlier?"

"You just looked so cute sleeping that I didn't want to bother you. And at least now you're well rested for tonight," Rachel winks.

"Yeah, true." Quinn smiles before standing up and grabbing their bags. "Shall we?"

The two newlyweds manage to get their baggage, make it out of the airport, find a cab, pick up their car rental, and check in at the hotel right on time, much to Rachel's delight.

When they're shown to their honeymoon suite, she drops everything and gasps as she takes in the bright and spacious room.

"Quinn! This is our room!" she squeals.

"I noticed that, Rach," Quinn laughs as she carries their suitcases over to the bed.

"This was so worth compromising on the wedding." The woman makes her way over to the patio door. "Look! The beach is right there!" She turns and waves Quinn over. "Literally right there!"

"You're adorable." Quinn wraps her arms around her waist from behind. "And that beach is beautiful. But not as beautiful as you."

"There's no need for the cheesy pick up lines. You already know you're getting laid." Rachel turns her head and leans up for a quick peck. "Now come on! We have dinner reservations at six. So let's hurry and unpack and get ready."

Quinn frowns, "We have dinner reservations?"

Rachel blinks at her, "Yes. Didn't I tell you earlier?"

"No."

"Oh! Well we have dinner reservations at six."

Quinn smiles at her, and before she can respond, there's a knock at the door. "I'll get it," she says as she walks over to open the door to see the man from the front desk with a box.

"A package came in for Ms. Berry," he smiles politely.

"Berry-Fabray!" Rachel corrects as she bounds over to take the box from him.

Quinn rolls her eyes at her wife's antics and takes a few bills out of her purse to hand to the man before sending him on his way. "Who's it from?" she asks as she sits next to Rachel on the bed.

"It's from Kurt." Rachel rips the large box open and pulls out a note. She reads out loud, "'Dear Rachel and Quinn, congratulations on your big day. As I'm sure I already mentioned in my toast, may you have a lifetime of happiness and all that jazz. But may you also have a little fun on your honeymoon.' There's a winking face," Rachel finishes.

Quinn frowns and starts taking the contents out of the box. "Oh wow," she says as she pulls out brand new handcuffs.

"What else is in here?" Rachel excitedly rummages through it. "Massage oils. Blindfolds. Lingerie. Lube? That's weird." She blushes when she sees Kurt's reasoning for lube as she pulls out a strap on. "I don't think we'll be needing this. Unless you - "

She doesn't even have a chance to finish the sentence before Quinn takes it and hurls it across the room. "Nope. Not in a million years," the blonde says quickly.

Rachel laughs and presses a kiss to her cheek. "You're cute. I'm going to take a shower now." When she gets up Quinn is following close behind her to the bathroom. She turns and says, "Quinn, we don't have time for any messing around. Maybe you should wait until I'm done."

Quinn does her best Rachel impersonation as she rids them both of their clothes, "I'll have you know that showering together is not only cost efficient, it's also good for the environment as it saves water."

Rachel huffs but smiles anyway. "That isn't a valid argument in this case as we're staying at a hotel on an island in the middle of the Pacific and - hey!"

She's pushed into the shower and relents, allowing Quinn to join her. They haven't been intimate in nearly a week and Rachel misses it. And of course Quinn does too.

Their laughs echo across the room as they attempt to maneuver around each other. The smile never leaves Rachel's face. She even allows some kissing and light groping to hold Quinn over. For now. With the way her wife is touching her, she's momentarily tempted to cancel their reservations altogether.

Her willpower eventually wins over, and they somehow manage to barely make it to their reservation at a four star restaurant near the resort.

"Are you sure I'm not underdressed?" Quinn asks for maybe the tenth time since walking into the place.

"Quinn, stop worrying. You look great," Rachel says as they're seated at their table.

"I don't know, Rach." The blonde nods her head to another table, "That guy was looking at me when we were walking over."

"I'm pretty sure he was just checking you out."

It was probably true. Every time they went out somewhere, without fail, at least a handful of people would do a double take when they saw Quinn. Some would ogle for too long, much to Rachel's annoyance. But she's definitely used to it by now. Her insecurities, when it came to being good enough for Quinn, were a thing of the past.

And putting a ring on it definitely helped.

Even as she stares at her wife, she still sometimes can't believe how lucky she is.

"Hello ladies! How are you this evening?" An incredibly cheerful waitress breaks Rachel out of her thoughts and startles her in the process.

Quinn chuckles at her wife and smiles up at the young waitress, "We're wonderful, thank you. How are you?"

"I'm doing great and thank you for asking! Can I get you both something to drink? Might I suggest our new import of Talbott Valley Pinot Noir? Or perhaps - "

"Water is fine for me," Quinn says.

Rachel rolls her eyes. "We'll take a bottle of that wine, please."

When the waitress disappears, Quinn quirks an eyebrow at her. Rachel shrugs, "We might as well make the most of this."

"Yeah, true," the blonde nods in agreement. "I know we've only been here for a few hours, but I'm having so much fun with you."

"So am I. This is going to be an amazing week." She reaches across the small table to cover Quinn's hand. "You're too far away from me."

The blonde smirks and subtly scoots her chair around the table to be closer to her wife. "Better?"

Rachel glides her hand up and down her arm. "Much."

When Quinn leans over, they get lost in their own world as they share a deep, languid kiss. It's only when Rachel feels a hand sliding under her dress and up her thigh that she pulls back.

"Quinn," she says lowly with a smirk. "Out here where everyone could see? What would the natives think?"

"I'm pretty sure it's nothing but tourists here," Quinn laughs. She lightly rubs her thumb in circles over the spot where her hand is. "And I don't care who's looking. You have no idea how close I am to spreading you out over this table and having my way with you."

"Well, you're a lot closer than you think." Rachel leans in to whisper in her ear, "Because I'm not wearing any underwear."

Quinn swallows and tries to keep herself from making a ridiculously goofy face. "Really?"

"See for yourself."

Trying to be inconspicuous, she carefully inches her way up Rachel's leg, feeling the warmth only getting stronger as she gets closer to her center.

"And here we are with that wine!"

"Shit!" Quinn jumps and bangs her knee hard on the table. She quickly apologizes to the waitress, "Sorry! You just scared me."

"It's okay," the girl smiles as she uncorks the wine for them.

Rachel pouts and leans against the palm of her hand. Maybe they should have just stayed at the hotel.

"Here's your wine. And I'll give you a few minutes to look over the menu. Let me know if you have any questions."

When they're finally left alone again, Quinn moves her chair back to where it was. "I should probably stay on my side of the table."

Rachel smirks, "And you were almost there."

"The waitress probably knew what was going on too. We'll have to leave her a good tip."

"I'm sure she'll be fine." She smiles to herself, "I can't believe we still act like horny teenagers."

"A week, Rachel. We haven't had sex in a week," Quinn reminds her. "And we've been married for a full day now."

"I know, baby." She tilts her head and purses her lips to hide her laughter when she hears Quinn mumbling to herself.

"Dead puppies...Coach Bieste...Santana's grandma..."

"I didn't realize I could still get you this hot without even touching you," Rachel says, a little proud of herself.

"That's one thing that'll never change," Quinn laughs and finally looks back up when she's calmed down. "Anyway, what were we talking about?"

Rachel takes her hand again. "I was just going to tell my beautiful wife how much I love her and how happy I am right now."

"This girl sounds really lucky, being married to you and all."

"So she likes to say. But I know I'll always feel like the lucky one." She stares deeply into hazel eyes. "I know I tell you this a lot, but you make me feel like the most special person in the world."

"And I want you to feel like that everyday. You deserve it."

She bites her lip, "Yeah?"

Quinn brings her hand up and leaves a soft kiss on the back of it. "Yeah."

* * *

By the time they finish dinner, it's still early in the evening. But that doesn't stop them from going straight back to the hotel.

"Hello again Ms. Fabray and Ms. Berry," the same front desk man from earlier greets them as they rush through the lobby.

"Berry-Fabray!" Rachel shouts before a giggling Quinn pulls her into the elevator.

As soon as the doors close, she's pushed against the back wall and easily gives in when Quinn attacks her lips. She then moans loudly when the blonde reaches up her dress and touches her where she's been aching all night.

"You weren't kidding," Quinn says when her fingers meet instant wetness.

"I would never joke about that," Rachel breathes out as her wife kisses her neck and works her hand on her core.

"Quinn," she laughs lightly. "As much as I would love to be finger-fucked in an elevator, the doors are open and someone could see."

Detaching herself, Quinn turns around to see that the doors are indeed open to the empty hallway leading to their suite.

"Oh," is all she says.

"Let's go." Rachel pulls her to the room and all but pushes her inside. She shrieks when she's caught off guard and pushed onto middle of the bed, landing in her back.

"I've been wanting to do this all night," Quinn says as she pushes the woman's dress up around her waist.

"Oh god, yes..." As soon as her legs are spread open, Rachel reaches down to tangle her hand into blonde hair as Quinn kisses all over her swollen lips.

She throws her head back when she feels a tongue slowly running up and down her slit. And she can't help but grind her hips when she feels it circling her entrance.

She sits up when there's a light knock at the door and so does Quinn. "Ms. Fabray? Ms. Berry?"

"Berry-Fabray!" Rachel screams in frustration. All she wants right now is to get fucked by her wife.

"I'll get it," Quinn assures her before getting up from the bed and hurrying to the door, not even bothering to fix her appearance when she opens it. She makes sure not to open it enough to where the other person can see Rachel on the bed. "Yes?"

"Hello!" The overly happy front desk man was back. "On behalf of the resort, we just wanted to drop this off with you and once again congratulate you both on your wedding."

He holds out a bottle of champagne in a bucket of ice with two glasses and Quinn takes it with a frown. How much champagne are newlyweds supposed to get?

"And if there's anything else we can do for you, please don't hesitate to call the front desk."

She glances over to see her wife standing by the bed, already without her dress and sliding her bra off her arms, giving her _that_ look.

"Hang on," she tells the man before setting the champagne down on the table and grabbing her purse. "Here." She takes out a fifty dollar bill and hands it to him. "That's for you to make sure that no one bothers us for the rest of the night."

He eagerly takes it and grins, "Of course! And please don't forget to fill out our survey online saying that your stay here was - "

"Yeah, yeah. Got it." She shuts the door on him and turns to see her wife lighting some candles around the room.

"I thought he'd never leave," Rachel says over her shoulder as she gets the last candle by the bed. "Can you get the lights?"

Quinn does as she's asked and eagerly strips herself naked to catch up with her wife. She's momentarily confused when Rachel walks past her, but shakes her head with a smile when the woman starts opening the champagne bottle.

"We just had a whole bottle of wine at dinner," she says as she wraps her arms around her from behind.

Rachel shrugs, "It's free so we might as well."

"Mmm," Quinn hums in agreement before leaving a soft, lingering kiss on her shoulder.

Rachel smiles triumphantly when she pops it open and starts pouring in one of the glasses. She then takes a sip.

"How is it?"

"Not too bad."

She goes ahead and pours a glass for Quinn and nods over to the bed. The get back on it and lay on their sides, facing each other, and continue drinking out of their glasses.

"It's better than what we had on the airplane," Quinn remarks.

"Mhmm." Rachel finishes her glass and sets it down on the night stand. She then leans over to meet her wife for a kiss.

"Your lips are cold," Quinn murmurs.

"So are yours," Rachel says as she continues their kiss.

After a moment, Quinn pulls back and finishes her champagne as well. She then pushes Rachel onto her back and leans her head down to take a nipple into her mouth.

"Oh..." Rachel moans. This was different.

Quinn smirks when it's obvious Rachel is enjoying this and makes sure to pay equal attention to both of her breasts.

"Quinn." Rachel pulls her back up to lock their lips in a searing kiss.

They lay on their sides once again as their hands slowly explore the other's body. This was definitely not new territory to them. Not by a long shot. But something about it was still...different. More special than any time they had been together like this before.

Rachel breaks the kiss and rests her forehead against the blonde's.

"I love you," Quinn whispers as she strokes her jawline with the pad of her thumb.

She feels her heart flutter. "I love you too."

Wanting to express the love she has for her, Rachel pushes her onto her back and straddles her. She then presses her lips to her collarbone and slowly moves down her body, leaving kisses all over her as she moves down.

When she's as far down as she wants to be, she leaves one last kiss on the blonde's lower stomach and wraps her hand around the hard member waiting for her.

"Rach," Quinn whimpers when the warm hand begins to slowly stroke her.

"Shh," Rachel soothes her. She's going to take care of her. She always does.

Not wanting to tease her wife, she takes her partially into her mouth, softly sucking on the tip knowing that it's one of Quinn's many vices.

"Yes, baby," Quinn pants as she's already on edge. If Rachel didn't have her mouth full, she would probably be smirking right now.

She moves her lips up and down the shaft, taking more of it as she goes. The hand on the back of her head was encouraging her to take it all the way, so she does. But only for a few moments before she comes back up gasping for air.

When she's ready, she brings her mouth down again and works it up and down much faster this time. And with the way Quinn is squirming under her, she can tell the girl is struggling to hold herself back from thrashing wildly into her mouth.

Knowing that Quinn probably can't last much longer like this, Rachel releases her and moves up her body to straddle her again.

She reaches down to position the hard and wet cock at her entrance, but pauses to lock eyes with her wife. And as they continue to stare at one another, Quinn pushes herself in, causing them both to moan in unison.

Being no stranger to having Quinn inside of her, Rachel is able to take every inch almost immediately. She braces her hands on Quinn's shoulders as they begin to move together.

"You're so amazing," Quinn pants out.

Rachel squeezes her eyes shut and bites her lip, getting lost in this feeling of pure ecstasy. The feeling only increases when she feels Quinn's hands softly caressing her breasts and stomach before moving to her back.

After a few more minutes of slamming her hips up and down at a frenzied pace, her arms give out and she rests her head in the crook of Quinn's neck.

The blonde wraps her arms around her and rolls them over so that Rachel can lay in her back.

When her wife begins thrusting into her again, she cups her face and pulls her down for another slow kiss. She only pulls back to cry out when she feels her orgasm taking over her, and knows that Quinn is right behind her when she feels the girl releasing into her.

"God, Rach," Quinn tries to catch her breath when she's finally finished letting go. "That was amazing."

Not able to speak just yet, Rachel nods in agreement and presses a kiss to her temple, softly running her fingers through blonde hair.

"I'm going to need a little while before we go again."

"Me too," she croaks out.

When their breathing finally evens out, Quinn carefully pulls out of her before snuggling into her side.

"Don't fall asleep," Quinn says with a smirk.

It's Rachel's turn to do her best Quinn impression. She looks down at the girl and quirks an eyebrow, "I'm not going to stop until you pass out."

* * *

Much to Rachel's smugness, Quinn was in fact the first one to fall asleep after several rounds of lovemaking.

Rachel has no idea what time it is as she hasn't bothered looking at the time in a while. It's probably well into the early hours of the morning.

At one point, she had opened the door to their outside patio to let some air in. And with the sound of waves crashing against the shore mixed with the sound of Quinn's heartbeat as she rests her head in her chest, Rachel doesn't think she'll have many more moments in life as perfect as this one.

She shifts herself to lean onto her elbow and stares down at her sleeping wife. She then gently brushes her hair out of her face and leans down to kiss her forehead.

"You still watch me sleep like a psycho?" Quinn smiles before slowly opening her eyes.

Rachel purses her lips. "Maybe."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're obsessed with me."

She rolls her eyes, "It's not obsession if we're already married."

"Good point." Quinn reaches down to interlock their fingers over her abdomen. "What time is it?"

"I'm not sure."

"We don't have to be up early, do we?"

"Not that I know of."

Quinn smiles, "We don't have any breakfast reservations that you happened to forget about?"

Rachel laughs and shakes her head, "Not this time. I swear."

The blonde nods and stares down at their hands.

"You're so beautiful," Rachel whispers. "I've never been this happy before."

"Me neither," Quinn replies back softly. "And the crazy thing is that this feeling is going to last forever with you."

Rachel smiles and leans down to kiss the girl. "I love you, Quinn."

"I love you too."

She lays her head back down in her chest and says softly, "Thank you for letting me be yours."


	36. Chapter 36

If Quinn were to list her favorite things about life, being married to Rachel would be at the top of it. Months have come and gone in a blur since the wedding, and she couldn't be happier. They've kept their promises from all of their vows, and it seemed as though things could not be anymore perfect for her.

On one particular beautiful day, in which they both happened to be free, they decide to take a walk through Central Park together.

"I think I need to work out more," Quinn remarks when what's maybe the hundredth jogger passes by them.

Rachel rolls her eyes, "Three times a week is more exercise than most Americans get. And besides, your body still looks amazing," she nudges her wife.

The blonde shrugs. She's still has her cheerleading era body, so she can't argue.

"Oh look, here it is!" Rachel beams as they come to a stop in front of a tree. This specific tree was very special to them, as it was the spot that they had their little wedding ceremony.

Quinn wraps an arm around Rachel's lower back and pulls her in close as she revels in the wonderful memories of that day. "It doesn't seem that long ago," she says.

"No, it doesn't," Rachel says as she rests her head on her shoulder. "I love you, baby."

The blonde responds by leaning her head down for a chaste kiss. She then pulls out of Rachel's embrace and says, "We should probably head back if we want to be home by dark."

"I'll get us a cab," Rachel says. "Is it okay if we just stay here for a little while?" she asks hopefully.

"Of course, my love." Quinn moves to sit down with her back resting against the base of the tree. Her wife is quick to join her by her side.

Rachel locks their hands together as they just sit, listen, and watch all of the people that were passing by, none of which were paying them any mind.

A lot of people were taking a late afternoon jog, as Quinn had already noted. Others were walking their dogs. Some were pushing strollers. Other parents were walking and laughing with their kids or doing other activities with them like teaching them to ride a bike or feeding the nearby ducks.

"Quinn?"

"Hmm?"

She's been mentally planning this conversation for a while now. But that doesn't make her any less nervous. "I've been thinking..."

Quinn turns to her with a frown. "About what?"

She takes a deep breath, "I think we're ready to start a family."

If this conversation wasn't so serious and important to Rachel, she would be laughing at how wide Quinn's eyes are at the moment.

The blonde manages to barely keep her voice leveled as she asks, "Now?"

Rachel nods, "Yes, Quinn. Now."

"I'm not sure about this. I mean, I'm still in school."

"You're in your last year of school. If we were to be expecting say...within the next couple of months, you would still be able to graduate before the baby comes."

"You have your show."

"It's a secondary role. The production is only six months, so I wouldn't be showing until it was over. And even if I was before then, that's why I have an understudy. And before you mention my vocal lessons, I was already planning on stopping those as soon as the show starts."

"Our place isn't big enough for one more person."

"We can always move. We're only there because it's the most affordable place close too NYU. There's plenty of other areas where we can have even more room without paying nearly as much. I wouldn't mind living across the bridge," she smiles.

"Rachel, this is a lot to think about."

"And I have been thinking about it, Quinn. For the longest time now. I'm going to be thirty-four soon, and I'm not getting any younger."

"I know that, baby. But - "

Rachel feels like she's on the verge of tears. She quickly gathers herself and says, "All you're doing is listing reasons why we shouldn't do this. If you think we need more time, I understand. But is this not something you want anymore?" Her heart breaks at the thought. "Because if that's the case, you can tell me, Quinn."

"What? No! If course I want this, Rach." The blonde wants to kick herself right now. "I really do. And I'm sorry if it sounds like I'm making excuses, but I'm just trying to be reasonable about this. I don't want us to jump into anything."

Rachel wipes her eyes. "Why is it that you're always the level headed one?" she smiles.

Quinn laughs, "Someone has to be." She leaves a kiss on her wife's cheek to help calm her down.

"Are you worried about money? Because we're doing great with that right now."

The blonde couldn't protest to that. They were doing better now and could actually put money aside for savings. And finding a place in another area would definitely help.

"I'm not," she answers.

Rachel softly runs her fingertips up and down Quinn's arm. "If you're not ready, then that's okay. I know you're young and you want to live first. I just wanted to put it out there. And I'm sorry I can get so emotional."

Quinn thinks about Rachel's words. It's true that she's still in the prime of her youth. And of course most people her age would want to get a chance to do so many different things and "find" themselves.

But Quinn didn't feel the need to do that. She's already found herself. Or at least found where she's meant to be, and that's with Rachel.

Some may write her off as ignorant and naive for settling down so young. Especially in today's world. But she knows in her heart that this is what she's going to want more than anything else. To have a baby created out of love between her and Rachel.

Excitement fills her as she imagines play dates, zoo visits, ballet recitals, piano lessons, Sunday morning breakfast, and so many other things that the list goes on endlessly.

"Quinn?" Rachel frowns.

"I'm ready."

"What?"

Quinn turns to her, "I want everything with you. And I know we can't have it all right now, but at least we can start? I want to start a family too."

Rachel bites her bottom lip to contain her excitement. "Really?"

"Yes." She leans over and seals it with a kiss. She then stands and pulls Rachel with her and starts quickly walking out of the park. "Let's go get started!"

* * *

Quinn stares at the clock on her work computer. It was five minutes until noon, which meant that she could leave soon.

When her internship was coming to an end, she was so well-liked that she was offered to stay with a part time position. She accepted it without a second thought. She only had to work half a day every Monday through Friday and also took evening classes at NYU.

The time in between was spent either with Rachel, studying, or writing. Sometimes all of the above in the same day. She had been working on a couple of writing projects for the past several months and was itching to get at least one of them finished.

She stops tapping her pen against the desk when she sees that the clock says 11:58. Just a couple more minutes.

Her phone goes off and she smiles when she sees a message from her wife.

**Rachel: Are you coming home right after work?**

**Quinn: Yes. Why?**

**Rachel: Just making sure. I need you here as soon as possible.**

Quinn frowns at the urgent nature of the message. She's about to ask what's going on when one of her bosses appears at her cubicle.

"Hey Quinn," the man greets.

"Oh, hi Tom," she says as she starts packing all of her stuff together. "Did you need something?"

"Yes, I actually wanted to ask you something."

She turns around in her chair to face him. "What's up?"

"Well, you seem to be in a hurry. So I'll cut right to the chase. I can't say names, but a couple of the higher ups have been really impressed with your work lately. And there's some chatter going around that they want you to work for us full time as an assistant editor once you receive your bachelor's."

She pauses and stares at him, making sure that he's completely serious. "Really?"

"Yes. I can't say I'm really surprised," he smiles. "I'll try to see what other details I can find out. But we'll talk about it again on Monday. So just enjoy your weekend for now, Quinn."

She nods absently as she processes what she's just been told. Rachel is going to be so excited for her.

Rachel!

She jumps up from her chair and slings her briefcase over her shoulder.

"Thanks Tom. I appreciate it. I really do. I'll see you on Monday!"

And with that, she rushes through the front entrance and out the doors to get home.

* * *

As soon as she makes it back to the apartment, Quinn bursts through the door and calls out, "Rachel?"

"Quinn?" Her wife appears in the doorway of the bedroom.

"Hey." Quinn sets her bag down on the floor and crosses the living room to reach her. "You said you needed me here right away. What's going on?"

Rachel quickly gets to work with unbuttoning the blonde's shirt. "I'm ovulating."

Quinn breathes out a sigh of relief. "You scared me. I thought it was an emergency." Rachel had stopped taking her birth control that day at the park, which was a few weeks ago now. And of course she would come up with a specific schedule as to when the baby-making would commence.

Huffing, Rachel takes a step back. "This is very important, Quinn! This is without a doubt the best time for us to increase our chances at getting pregnant. Not only that, but - mmph!"

Quinn is able to effectively shut her up by taking hold of her face and pressing their lips together. Anything else that Rachel has to say dies in her throat.

Without breaking the kiss, they manage to navigate through their bedroom until they fall down together on the bed. Quinn pushes her wife onto her back and lays on top of her.

She finally breaks away from her lips and gasps out, "You were saying?"

Rachel rolls her eyes and lifts her hips to slide her shorts and underwear off her legs. "Shut up and let's do this."

Quinn takes her unbuttoned shirt off and tosses it to the floor. She unzips her pants and pushes them down to her ankles, not bothering to pull them completely off as all she needs is to free her member.

She settles between Rachel's legs and starts stroking her cock to make sure she's hard and ready. She looks down at her wife and says, "Sorry this isn't romantic, baby."

Rachel herself is busy rubbing tight circles over her clit. "It's okay," she pants. "We'll be romantic later. Do you have class tonight?"

"Just one. But I can skip it."

"Normally..." Rachel gasps as she becomes increasingly wetter. "I would reprimand you. But I'll let you off the hook just this once."

"So we have all day and night to keep doing this?"

"Yes."

Quinn nods and rapidly continues to jerk herself. "You look so sexy when you touch yourself like that."

Rachel stops and lets out a soft laugh. "At least make sure you're inside of me when you finish. Otherwise this won't work."

The blonde shifts and lines herself up with her entrance. "Good idea." She leans down for a kiss, pushing her cock inside as she does so.

Rachel's moan is muffled against her mouth as she begins thrusting her hips at a steady pace. She pulls back and rests her forehead against Rachel's collarbone, squeezing her eyes shut.

"That feels so good," Rachel breathes out. She angles her hips to feel Quinn drive even deeper into her.

The blonde pushes up onto her hands and looks down between their bodies. The sight of her shaft glistening from Rachel's arousal as she goes in and out of her was something that would always drive them both wild.

She uses one hand to push Rachel's t-shirt up, exposing her breasts to the cold air of the room.

"Baby," Quinn whimpers. "I'm getting close."

"Don't stop."

As the blonde fucks her relentlessly, Rachel reaches down and starts playing with her clit again, bringing herself even closer to her climax. She knows that her wife loses it when she watches her touch herself, so she uses her other hand to massage and tweak her own nipples.

And sure enough, Quinn is pounding into her even faster now. "Oh god, Rachel..."

"That's it, baby. Fuck, Quinn!"

As soon as Rachel cums with a long moan, her walls clamp down deliciously on Quinn's cock. And being quick to follow, the blonde's hips are jerking wildly and she's releasing herself into her wife.

Rachel makes sure not to move right away so that Quinn can release her seed as deep as she can inside her.

When she's finished, Quinn rolls off and onto her back, pulling Rachel into her side as their breathing evens out.

"You're amazing, you know that?"

Rachel smiles and sits up to pull her t-shirt off all the way. She stares down at Quinn and lightly traces her fingers up and down her torso. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me. I love you," she whispers.

She moves her hand up to touch Quinn's necklace. The same one that she's always had since they've been together.

The blonde joins their hands together and rests them over her chest.

Over her heart.

"I can't believe we're doing this. It's incredible."

Rachel nods as she continues to stare down at the girl she loves so much. "It really is."

She just hopes that everything goes according to plan.

* * *

One afternoon, Rachel comes home after being out all morning and feels a comfort and security that she's been needing when she sees her wife already there waiting for her and sitting on the couch.

"Hey you," she smiles as she takes a seat next to her.

"Hey." Quinn closes her laptop and sets it aside.

"What are you doing?"

"I was Skyping with Santana earlier. Now I'm just replying to some emails and editing my manuscript."

"Again? Quinn, you must've read through it a million times already. I'm sure it's beyond perfect by now."

Quinn shrugs, "There's always room for improvement." She pulls her feet up on the couch and rests her head on Rachel's lap. "Anything interesting happen today?"

Rachel sighs, not wanting to upset Quinn just yet. "I'm having dinner with Kurt later."

"Oh yeah?"

She nods. "I want to tell him that we're planning for a family. But I think I'll wait until I'm actually expecting."

Quinn smiles up at her, "And just how are you going to explain that?" Of course Kurt and a lot of their other friends were in the dark about Quinn's condition. So they would need a logical explanation for a pregnancy. Quinn was thinking that a sperm donor would be acceptable.

But of course Rachel had more elaborate ideas.

"I have the perfect story! We have your eggs implanted in my uterus. And we use a sperm donor with similar traits to me so that the baby can have characteristics from both of us."

"Why couldn't you just use the eggs that you already have in your own uterus?"

"Because...it being your egg makes it your baby, which gives you a connection to it. And the fact that I'm carrying it in my body gives me a connection to it. It's perfect, really."

"If you say so," Quinn chuckles. "Make sure you write that story down so I can have it memorized for when people ask."

Rachel shakes her head with a smile.

"I'm just kidding," the blonde says.

"I know." Rachel sighs, "Quinn?"

"Rachel?"

"I went to see my doctor today."

"Your doctor?"

She nods, "I went in to take some tests."

Quinn sits up and looks at her with concern. "What kind of tests?"

"It's just," she pauses. "It's been a while now that we've been trying to get pregnant. And nothing is happening. So it's really worrying me. I just want to make sure that," she says the last part softly, "that I actually _can_ have a baby."

"Rachel," Quinn soothes. "I'm sure there's nothing wrong with you."

"I just have to be sure." Rachel fights back tears. This has been one of her biggest fears as of late. She just didn't realize it because she's never attempted to have a baby until now.

"It's only been like four months. I think a lot of couples go through this. It's nothing out of the normal. We just have to keep trying."

"I know. But if there is something wrong, I'd rather know now." She wipes her watering eyes. "They're supposed to call me as soon as the results are in."

"Okay, well maybe..." Quinn is hesitant. "I can get some tests done too. Like a sperm count and all of that."

"You don't have to do that," Rachel says quickly. She knows how hard it is for Quinn to even talk about that part of her anatomy to people that she doesn't know or trust.

"If it would help your worries go away, then of course I will. I need to know too."

Rachel nods. "We'll just wait until I get my results back first."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." Rachel gets up from the couch and says, "I'm really tired. I think I'm going to lie down."

Quinn frowns as she watches her wife walk away. When she hears their bedroom door shut, she sighs to herself and runs a hand through her hair. The thought of them possibly not being able to conceive had never occurred to her until now.

And it was fucking terrifying.

She gets up to go to Rachel because she needs her right now. And she feels a pang in her chest when she opens the door to see her facing away with her shoulders shaking from silent sobs.

She crawls in bed behind her and wraps an arm securely around her waist. "Shh, it's okay."

"Quinn." Rachel cries even harder and clutches at her arm. "I'm sorry. I know I'm just being ridiculous."

"You're not."

"I'm just really scared."

"I know," Quinn sighs as she holds her tighter. "I am too, baby. I am too."


	37. Chapter 37

Grumbling into her pillow, Quinn slowly stirs awake when she feels a weight on her back, but relaxes when she realizes that it's just her wife crawling over her.

"Happy birthday, baby," Rachel whispers in her ear.

"Thanks," Quinn yawns. "Now let's go back to sleep."

"But I have the whole day planned for us."

"And I have to get up now?"

"Yes."

Quinn turns over and cuddles into her side. "Five more minutes."

Rachel smiles, "Okay."

With the brunette shuffling eagerly, Quinn knows there's no going back to sleep. "How long have you been up for?"

"About an hour."

Glancing at the clock, she frowns, "Rachel, it's not even seven. And it's _Saturday_."

"It's just what I'm used to," Rachel shrugs.

Quinn finally feels awake enough to move and sits up to stretch. "I'm going to take a shower now."

"Okay."

"Would you like to join me?"

"I already showered and got ready." Rachel gestures at her attire.

"Wow. I'm being denied shower sex on my own birthday," Quinn laughs.

Rolling her eyes, her wife says, "Get going, you."

Quinn hurries and finishes her shower in record time. When she turns the water off, she hears Rachel speaking to someone in a hushed voice. She wraps a towel around herself and leaves the bathroom to see the brunette sitting on the bed and talking on the phone.

As soon as Rachel sees Quinn, she quickly says, "I have to go now. Bye."

"Who was that?"

"Oh, it was just the director asking if I was still able to perform for tomorrow's matinee," Rachel waves off.

Quinn knows she's lying with the way she answers the question.

"He called this early?"

"Yes."

She decides to drop it and figures that it's best to just go with whatever it is Rachel is up to.

She starts drying herself off and asks, "Is there any specific criteria for how I should be dressed for today's events?"

"No. Today's dress code is business casual," Rachel winks. "Now get ready so we can go have breakfast."

"Why can't we eat breakfast here?" Quinn asks.

"Because Quinn, I _have_ to take my wife out for breakfast on her birthday," Rachel says like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

Quinn laughs and says, "Alright, Rach," before going back to the bathroom to get ready.

* * *

They end up at one of their favorite diners around the corner from the apartment. Rachel gets started on her pancakes while Quinn is still waking up with her second cup of coffee.

"So, what's on the agenda for today?"

Rachel grins mischievously, "You'll just have to wait and see."

Quinn mumbles something under her breath and drinks more coffee. When she's finished, she sets the cup down and says, "I hate surprises."

"I know. But try to bear with me on this."

Their waiter drops off the check and Quinn realizes that she's missing something. "Damn it. I forgot my purse."

"Don't worry. I'll get it," Rachel says as she pulls out her credit card.

"I'll have to go back home to get it before we begin this mystery day."

"No! I mean, you don't need it."

Quinn blinks at her. "I'm pretty sure I need my ID and my money."

"I'm going to be paying for everything today anyway. So no, you don't need it."

"Um, okay?"

Rachel grins at her, "You're cute, you know that?"

"Don't try to divert my attention," Quinn says and they both laugh.

The waiter comes back and asks Quinn if she would like more coffee. She politely shakes her head, "No thank you." She instead gets back to eating her pancakes.

Rachel watches her wife and doesn't realize she's getting lost in her own thoughts again. It's been pretty hard for them lately as they're still desperately trying to have a baby. When Rachel's results came back, they were assured that everything was okay with her. Since then, Quinn has been suggesting to see if maybe something was wrong with her instead.

Knowing that it's not something Quinn is comfortable doing, but is so willing to do it regardless, Rachel keeps insisting that they try a bit longer in hopes that something will happen. But it's already been a while and she doesn't know how much longer Quinn will wait.

"What are you thinking about? You're just watching me stuff my face and it's a little creepy," Quinn lifts an eyebrow teasingly.

Rachel laughs, "Sorry." She bites her lip. "I love you, Quinn."

"Love you too," the blonde smiles. "And thanks for breakfast."

Rachel nods, feeling a little broken. All she wants is to give her everything.

* * *

After taking Quinn around all over town, from the park to a ferry ride to hours of shopping, Rachel finally decides that it's time for them to get back to the apartment during the middle of the afternoon.

As they walk up the stairs with all of their bags in tow, Rachel takes Quinn's hand and squeezes it.

"Thank you for doing all of this," Quinn says. "You really didn't have to."

"I just want your day to be special."

Quinn smirks as she starts unlocking the door. "It would be even more special if you could suck - "

"Quinn! Do not finish that sentence!" Rachel shrieks.

The blonde scoffs as she opens the door. "You know you like - Ahh!" She screams and clutches her chest when she realizes that there are people in her living room.

"Surprise!" They all shout out in unison.

She gapes with her jaw dropped at her parents, Kurt, Blaine, Santana, Brittany, and Puck all smiling at her.

"Oh my god..."

Rachel kisses her cheek and whispers, "Surprise."

Judy and Russell are the first ones to approach and hug her. She holds back tears as she says, "I can't believe you guys are here."

"We just flew in last night. I'm so happy we got to come," Judy says.

Russell laughs and shakes Quinn's shoulder, "Don't cry! You're going to make me cry."

Rachel decides to give Quinn a moment and goes over to Kurt. "Thank you so much for helping me out today."

"It's fine, but you owe me," he says and she nods in agreement.

After her parents finally release her, Quinn is then pounced on by Brittany before Santana and Puck join in.

"Happy birthday, Quinn!"

"Thanks Britt," she laughs.

"The flight was _so_ long getting here. We got stuck next to this fat guy that wouldn't stop snoring."

"You'll have to tell me all about it."

Puck is next to give her a hug. "I'm so glad you guys are all here," she says.

She looks and Santana and smirks, "You almost look happy for once."

Everyone laughs while her best friend rolls her eyes playfully, "Whatever. Can we all eat now?"

"Yes, let's eat," Kurt agrees. "I'm starving."

"Okay well you all go ahead and get started," Rachel tells them. "I'm just going to put these bags away."

As everyone starts chatting and grabbing their plates for the food, Quinn looks at her bedroom door and decides to follow her wife inside.

Rachel comes out of their closet and smiles at her. The blonde wastes no time in wrapping her arms around her. "I can't believe you did all of this for me," she says.

"You should have known something was up." Rachel smiles sheepishly, "I mean, it was pretty obvious."

"Well, yeah. But I didn't think it would be something like this."

Leaning up to kiss her, Rachel says, "You're welcome, baby. Now let's go see what everyone's up to."

Quinn come out of her room and goes straight to her dad in the kitchen. He drapes an arm around her shoulders and says, "Just a few more months and you'll be done with college."

"It's gone by so fast," Judy says.

"You're telling me," Quinn shakes her head.

Puck, Santana, and Brittany are loading up their burgers when Puck asks, "Did you guys tell them yet?"

Quinn frowns, "Tell who what?"

He grins and nods his head toward Santana, "I'm moving to California with them."

"Really?"

Santana scowls and says, "Yes."

"I'm going to expand my pool cleaning business out there," Puck explains.

"That's great," Quinn says, genuinely happy for him. She knows that he was taking business classes in Lima and was always serious about this being his career.

"I'm excited to have another roommate," Brittany beams.

"And I only agreed to this because I'm getting a cut of the profit for helping out," Santana says, as if she's reminding Puck of that fact.

"Look, I told you I need to make back what I'm putting in for startup costs first, and then we'll talk about - "

"That is not what you said!"

As the two begin another one of their many arguments, Quinn looks across the room at her wife.

Rachel smiles at Quinn before turning her attention back to Blaine.

"And some of these kids are just so disrespectful. One of them won't stop calling me 'Mr. Bow Tie'."

"Don't listen to him when he complains about teaching," Kurt cuts in. "He secretly loves it there."

Blaine grins at his husband and nods his head in defeat. He continues to go on about his school, but Rachel finds herself distracted again when she makes eye contact with Judy.

The older blonde gives her a nod with a smile, and Rachel does the same.

* * *

Later in the evening, after several hours of talking and just hanging out with one another, everyone decides to call it a night.

"Where are you staying?" Quinn asks her father.

"We're all staying at the Marriott," he answers. "Even they are," he looks at Puck, Santana, and Brittany.

"At least we're all at the same hotel," Judy says.

He disagrees, "It's never a good thing with those three."

"Hey!" Santana shouts over her shoulder while she and Puck pack up all the leftovers to take with them.

Kurt walks over to Quinn with Blaine in tow to give her a hug. "Happy birthday," he says. "We're going to head out now."

"Thanks guys. See you later," she tells them.

Russell pats her on the back and says, "Bye kiddo."

"You're still coming by tomorrow, right? You're in town all weekend?"

"Hell yes," Puck answers before Russell can. "We still have to go to the zoo again!"

Quinn laughs and nods in agreement.

Rachel smiles as she watches everything happening from the corner of the living room. She's a little surprised when Santana approaches her.

"Are you doing all right?" the girl asks.

She answers with, "Of course. Why do you ask?"

"Quinn's been keeping me up with what's been going on," Santana says with a pointed look.

Rachel nods and looks down at the floor. If she thought she was before, she's even more surprised when Santana touches her arm.

"You guys probably don't know what's going to happen, but at least you'll always have Quinn."

"I know," Rachel says. She then smiles, "Is this the first time that you've actually been nice to my face?"

The Latina smirks, but then gets serious, "I told you once that I was rooting for you with Quinn and that hasn't changed, you know."

Rachel remembers that conversation vividly. She also remembers how lost she felt without Quinn. "Thank you."

"It's going to be okay for you guys. It always is."

Thinking that she's said what she needed to, Santana leaves Rachel alone with her thoughts.

* * *

After she washes up for bed, Rachel comes out of the bathroom to see Quinn typing away on her laptop.

"You still working on that manuscript?"

"I'm almost done with it. I just know it," the blonde says before putting the laptop away on the nightstand. "Any day now."

Rachel turns the light off and crawls in bed next to her. Quinn instinctively presses against her side and rests her head on her shoulder, making herself comfortable.

"Did you have a good birthday?"

Quinn raises her head and says, "It was perfect. You're amazing."

Rachel hums and runs her fingers through Quinn's hair because it relaxes both of them.

The blonde clears her throat, "So..."

She smiles, "We can do shower sex tomorrow, okay? I'm already changed for bed and I'm really tired."

Quinn shifts to lay on top of her. "That's because you're just getting old."

"Hey!"

The blonde swiftly tilts her head down to kiss her. She then laughs, "It's okay because I'm exhausted too. But I just need to be close to you right now."

"I know, baby."

She brings Quinn's head down to kiss her again and starts to move their bodies together. She reaches for Quinn's shorts and says, "Take these off."

Quinn quickly gets them off as well as her t-shirt. She then wraps her hand around her shaft and starts pumping to get herself ready for Rachel.

"I'm going to call the clinic on Monday to make an appointment," she says between breaths.

Rachel shakes her head, "Let's not worry about that tonight. Because it's just you and me right now. Just us, and nothing else matters, okay?"

Quinn nods, "Sorry."

"Don't be sorry. I love you."

"I love you too."

She pulls Rachel's nightgown up and carefully pushes herself inside of her. Rachel sucks in a breath and holds still for a moment before relaxing underneath her.

"You okay?"

"Mhmm," she nods, exhaling slowly and opening her eyes. "It just feels really good."

Quinn lowers her body down to drape over Rachel's as she thrusts in and out of her at a slow pace.

Rachel loves being intimate with Quinn no matter what the situation is. But there's something about making love with her like this that was just a whole different experience of which she couldn't explain.

Quinn's rhythm starts to speed up. She gasps out, "Rach?"

"I know, baby."

She pulls her wife's face up to kiss her softly.

"You're so beautiful," the blonde whispers.

After a few minutes, Quinn shudders over her and Rachel comes with a high pitched moan. Her wife collapses on top of her and she holds her close, whispering 'I love you' until they both fall asleep.

* * *

At the end of another long day of work and school, Quinn is ready to go home. She's staring off into space during her last class of the night when she gets a text message.

**Rachel: Are you coming home right after class?**

She yawns before responding.

**Quinn: Yes. Why? Is everything okay?**

**Rachel: I just miss you :)**

Quinn is exhausted after today. But she's excited to see her wife too.

Luckily, her professor is wrapping up the lecture just as she realizes what time it is. She sends one more quick text.

**Quinn: See you soon.**

* * *

When she gets home, she frowns when she sees that all of the lights are off except for the bedroom. She walks to the room and sees Rachel sitting on the bed, biting her lip and thinking to herself.

"Rach?"

She instantly perks up when she sees Quinn.

"What's going on?" the blonde asks because she can feel that something in the air is different.

Rachel gets up from the bed and takes hold of both of her hands. "Quinn..."

Quinn feels herself becoming a bit scared. "What?"

"I'm pregnant."

Staring at her with wide eyes and a huge smile, Quinn repeats, "What?"

Rachel nods happily, "I must have taken dozens of different pregnancy tests, but they all say the same thing!"

Quinn covers her own mouth with one hand. "Oh my god." Rachel can see that she's on the verge of tears, though she's not far behind herself.

Pulling her into a loving embrace, Quinn chokes out, "Rachel..."

"I know." Rachel squeezes her tighter and closes her eyes. "We're having a baby."

"I can't believe this. A baby," Quinn cries. "I was so scared. But now - "

"I was too. But it's okay now. We did it, Quinn." She lets out a content sigh. "We finally did it."

* * *

Quinn is in the middle of carrying a heavy box up the stairs when she hears yelling.

"Make sure you put it down carefully!"

She makes it up the rest of the stairs and goes into one of the rooms to see her very pregnant wife instructing a couple of very annoyed movers on where to put a bookcase.

"Right there. Against the wall."

As soon as they're finished pushing it against the wall like she asked, she says, "Actually, it might look better in the other corner.

"Maybe we can worry about this later." Quinn steps in. "I mean, there's still a lot of stuff to get down from the truck."

The movers nod in agreement and make their way out of the room to get to work. One of them gives Quinn a grateful look of relief on his way out.

"You're a little more bossy than usual today," she teases her wife.

"Quinn, I'm eight months pregnant. I can be as bossy as I want."

Quinn nods and sets the heavy box down on the floor. She grabs a screwdriver to open it and starts taking several books out to put on the shelf, one of which was her own published novel.

When she's done, she takes a look around at what's going to be the baby's room.

"How does it feel to live across the bridge now?"

Rachel smiles, "It's going to take a while to sink in." She suddenly squeezes her eyes shut and groans, "She's kicking."

Quinn rushes over to place her hands on her stomach and smiles when she feels the baby kicking. "I think she's excited to be here."

"I think so too," Rachel agrees.

Pressing a kiss to her forehead, Quinn says, "I'm going back down to get more stuff."

"Just let the movers get it for now. That's what we're paying them for."

Quinn chuckles before moving behind Rachel and resting her chin on her shoulder with her hands on her stomach.

"I think the crib can go over there," she says, gesturing to the space next to them.

"That's what I was thinking," Rachel says.

They both continue to stare at the room, taking it in, each lost in their own thoughts.

"What are you thinking about?" Rachel breaks the silence.

"About how happy I am that you got on that plane back to Lima," Quinn smiles. "That you gave me a chance with you."

Rachel smiles at the thought and leans her head back against Quinn's shoulder. She thinks about how strange it is that life doesn't always turn out the way you expect.

Sometimes, if you're lucky, it turns out even better.

She knows that while they've already been through so much, they still have an entire future ahead of them. Not only theirs, but their daughter's as well. And while the ups and downs are inevitable for Rachel, there's no one else that she'd rather have by her side through it all.


End file.
